Broken Warrior: The Tale of Kai Yamagata
by BeautifullyAbstract
Summary: The flames of war light the night sky, rivers once so clear now fill with the blood of innocents, a once peaceful world is now caught up in the midst of a chaotic war, and the story of one girl who is caught in between it all M violence and mild language
1. Chapter 1 The Prisoner

**Chapter 1**

**The Prisoner**

Within the confines of a darkened prison, a lone figure lay curled in the corner. Her eyes were half lidded, making no attempt to see what surrounded her. The gentle rocking of the ship caused the chains that were wrapped around her wrists and ankles to slide back and forth in the darkness. The sounds of the chains grating across the floor were a sweet lullaby and a small source of comfort to the girl as she sat in the darkness by herself for hours at a time.

The somewhat melodic pattern the chains created her soon interrupted by several loud clicks that echoed through her cell. She counted the loud clicking noises in her head.

" _One. . ._ " CLICK

" _Two. . ._ " CLICK

" _Three. . ._ "CLICK

" _Four. . ._ " CLICK

" _Five. . ._ " CLICK

One by one she counted the clicks that signaled the unlocking of the door and to her was a solemn announcement that some unwanted visitor had arrived. Light flooded the room from the outside as the weathered, rusted, and old metallic door creaked open with a loud moan. Quickly, the young girl closed her crimson eyes to hide from the blinding light as the door fully opened revealing her disheveled and mangled condition.

Her clothes were old and evidence of the fabric's once pure black color were only evident in the faded dull grey that replaced it as time passed. Tears and rips were scattered throughout her clothing revealing unappealing scars and what seemed to be recent lacerations on her body. Although, the color of the young girl's outfit was grey, it was joined in by another color, red. If one were to see her walking around in this condition and happen to look at her outfit, they would suspect that the bright and dark red colors from her outfit were a result of someone intricately staining a fabric. But, no, this was not the case. It was not a rare dye that stained her otherwise grey clothes. It was her blood.

A mocking and deep chuckle echoed through the room that made the girl's insides wrench and stirred the unbridled passion of hate from within her soul. Her eyes snapped open revealing her natural crimson eyes. Even though the sudden introduction of light practically blinded her, stubbornly she kept them open and let them adjust. Lifting her head off the cold metal ground, she flipped her long, black, blood clotted hair as best as she could so she could get a good look of her unwelcome guest. Her hate filled eyes narrowed even more when her vision finally focused in on the figure in the door way.

"Zhao. . ." she whispered to herself in a hoarse yet anger tone as she continued to glare up at him.

"What's the matter?" asked the pompous commander asked he looked down at the girl, "why don't you stand?" he asked mockingly. Even though her chains gave her enough room to stand she had no strength to do such thing. Every move that she made was arduous and painful and the simplest involuntary twitch of a muscle could trigger an unwanted and seemingly never-ending cycle of pain that would rack her entire body. The girl glared viciously and bared her teeth to Commander Zhao, like an Armadillo Lion ready to strike. Zhao new full well that she wouldn't be able to move.

As the girl glared at Commander Zhao, memories of the previous day's occurrences ran through her mind. She could hear her own screams in her head during Commander Zhao's interrogation session. Every time she refused to answer a question they would make a long deep cut along her body, mostly on her arms and legs. Like a routine, a cycle of question, refusal to answer, and cut, continued over the course of several hours until it seemed that there was no area of open skin left to cut or it could've been because Commander Zhao and the soldiers that accompanied him simply grew bored. After they had thrown their blades aside they began to beat and pummel her, but still she refused to answer their questions or submit to their will.

Commander Zhao stepped forward and knelt beside the girl. Gruffly, he took her chin in his hands and forced her gaze upwards so she would look at him. As she gazed at him she saw that his face no longer showed signs of mockery or amusement.

"Will you swear your allegiance to the Fire Lord?" he asked sternly. The girl stayed silent. "Give me the location of the remaining seven members of the Fire Nation Rebellion!" he ordered this time with more force behind his voice.

"You already know my answer from yesterday. . ." she struggled to say as Commander Zhao's hand tightened around her jaw, "I said, 'I don't know. And even if I did know I'd never tell you'!" she barked at him. "And as for that allegiance question. . . you can take that allegiance and shove it up your ass!" Commander Zhao's eyes narrowed and he threw her head against the metal wall.

"Listen, you! I've been incredibly generous by giving you one month to live so you could tell me the locations and to swear your allegiance to the Fire Lord. You are a wanted criminal and should've been killed the moment I captured you in the Earth Kingdom, but no." He stopped himself and took a deep breath in an attempt to regain his composure. "Now, I'm going to ask you again. . . will you swear your allegiance to the Fire Lord and give us the location of the remaining members of the rebellion?"

She could feel herself loosing consciousness as every thing around her began to blur and a spinning sensation filled her mind. But, just as her eyes were about to close she uttered out a week, but defiant "No. . ."

Seeing that the girl was unconscious, Commander Zhao growled angrily and blotted out of the cell. Fervently, he slammed the door behind him and turned to the guard who stood to the right of the door. "You," he said through clenched teeth, "Go find a messenger bird and send a note to the Yamagata family. Tell them we have captured their daughter and we are returning to the Fire Nation for her execution."


	2. Chapter 2 Escape

**Chapter 2**

**Escape**

A small groan escaped the dry lips of the young prisoner as she stirred from unconsciousness. Opening her eyes, she saw nothing but the bleak and familiar darkness of the room.

" _How long have I been out. . ._"she asked herself. Her eyes darted around in the darkness trying to find something she could lock her crimson eyes on. As she moved her head around, a sharp and incredibly painful sensation shot through her skull. The girl let out a hoarse cry of pain as her head fell back to the ground. She bit down on her lip trying to suppress her cries of agony. It felt as if a red hot knife was being plunged into the back of her skull and she didn't know why. Suddenly the reason for her new pain dawned on her.

"Zhao!" she cried out in anger, remembering how he had thrown her head against he wall. However, her sudden temper was cooled when the pain in the back of her head grew worse. She let out another quiet cry and bit down on her lip as she waited for the pain to fade. "Bastard. . ." the girl muttered angrily.

The girl's crimson eyes suddenly widened in the darkness and the sharp pain in her head was soon forgotten. She quieted herself completely so she could be to hear any noise within the confines of her prison. She stayed like this for several minutes until she was sure that she heard nothing, not even the grating of her chains against the floor. The ship had stopped.

" _Perfect! _" she thought to herself. The girl took a deep breath and fighting every ache and pain in her body, she pushed herself off the ground. Her injured arms trembled underneath her weight as she moved up inch by inch. In an attempt to give herself more support she put her palm down on the ground only to have it slip from underneath her. As she landed on the ground she realized that the floor was slippery with her thick blood. Ignoring the agonizing pain and the aching of her muscles, she tried a second time to sit upright. This time, her limbs trembled underneath her weight even more than before, threatening to send to her to ground once again, but just as she was about to collapse she took hold of the her chains, which were anchored in the wall just above her.

Once she had managed to pull herself into a sitting position she gasped to regain her breath. As she paused to regain her strength, her hand groped around blindly in the darkness in search of the chain that bound her down. Her fingers bumped into what seemed to be a sudden rise in the floor and without hesitation her trembling hand reached around to grab at the bump in the ground only find it was the chain. Even though her hand was covered in cuts she held onto to the chain like her life depended on it. In the darkness her hand began to glow bright red. She let out a loud gasp of pain as the heat from her firebending seemed to seep into her wounds like melted iron. While she winced from the searing pain in her right hand, her left hand groped around her the other chains. She gathered the three remaining chains in her hand and began to firebend. The pain doubled as she began to melt away the chains, but she refused to let go. Even though only a few minutes passed, it seemed like hours until you finally felt the chain completely sever. The young firebender achingly let go of the chains and saw that the cuts on her glowing hands were severely burned and looked worse than before, but she ignored that and pulled herself off of the floor. She staggered to the door and fell against it weakly, panting a bit. As she weakly leaned against the door, she pressed her ear to the cold metal and listened for anything that was going on outside. The sound of her pulse echoed through her ears, making it just a bit harder to zone in on any sound that was made outside the door. But, despite that she could hear the faint snore of the guard outside her door.

She didn't hesitate for a minute quickly her injured hands groped around in the darkness against the door until she ran into one of the five locks that kept her inside the prison. She pressed her middle an index finger in the middle of the lock and began to metal away at it. The locks were a lot easier to melt than her chains and within no time she was already down to the last and final lock and even sooner she pulled on the handle of the door and opened it. As she opened the door, it made a loud moaning noise and that was the last thing she wanted! Upon hearing the loud noise her eyes quickly looked over at the guard. The guard sat in his chair sound asleep, signaling her that it would be okay to open the door more. Just as she did so the door creaked even louder than before!

" _SHIT!_ " she thought to herself, she only had the door open a crack and at this rate she would never get out. But, that was the least of her problems. Glancing over at the guard she saw that he was starting to wake up. Without even thinking, the girl reached at the fabric underneath his armor with her injured hands and threw him into the cell with her. The guard groaned against the ground, but before he could open his eyes the girl delivered a swift kick to his head, knocking him out completely.

" _That should keep him out for a couple of hours_," she thought to herself as she turned her back on the unconscious Fire Nation guard after taking his keys. Her racing heart and the adrenaline rush was just what she needed. Forgetting her pain completely she threw she mangled against the door and forced it open quickly. She stumbled clumsily out of her cell and fell against the wall in front of the door. As much as she wanted to stop and rest, she knew there was no time for that. In one swift move she turned around and using her foot, she pushed the cell door closed. Taking he keys that she had removed from the guard she locked the door. Even though she had melted away the locks, she only did it enough so they were weakened and not completely destroyed; she knew that they would harden back into their original form soon.

Quickly she tucked away the keys in her pocket and she made her way down the hallway as fast as she could. As she drew closer and closer to escape she heard footsteps approaching and immediately she threw herself into the nearest dark hallway she could find.

"We should be leaving in about five minutes," she heard a soldier say, "Commander Zhao is just returning from an Agni Kai with the Prince,"

" _Prince_?" she asked herself as she silent hid in the shadows.

"Did he win?" another voice asked.

"No, from what I've heard he lost and didn't take to it very well. . ." the soldiers voices trailed off as they got further away and when she knew it was safe she bolted for the nearest exit.

She moved even faster than before knowing that she only had five minutes to get out. The hallways of the ship were like an elaborate maze and at every turn there were soldiers and each time she encountered one she quickly hid in the shadows, away from their view. She wasn't in the condition to fight and if she did get into a fight, losing was inevitable. After what seemed like an eternity she finally made it onto the deck, the setting sun burned the girl's crimson eyes that had grown accustomed to darkness, but she pressed forward. Carefully she dodged soldier after soldier, hiding behind crates, until she made it to the back of the ship. Before her eyes, docked next to Commander Zhao's ship was a smaller Fire Nation Ship. She new that the last thing she should do is jump onto another Fire Nation ship, but she had no choice. At the very least she could hide away in the boiler room for a while until they were near the Earth Kingdom where she could get off from there. She stepped over the ship's railing, took a deep breath, and jumped.

She flew through the air, jumping from onto the next ship, unseen and she landed nimbly on the deck of the other ship. Once her feet made contact with the deck of the other ship, she fell over in pain. The pain traveled like shockwaves up through her feet, to her legs, torso and arms. Lying on the ground, she felt almost as if she would never be able to get up again. The thought of just laying there for a moment to rest and wait for her pain to subside tempted her mind. But, she was brought back to reality and remembering her situation, she staggered up and ran for a place to hide. Quickly, she ran to the back of the ship and there she saw some a multitude of crates and barrels.

" _Perfect. . ._ " she thought, letting a sigh of relief escape her lips. She climbed over several crates until she found a small crawl space where she could hide. Mustering the last of her strength, she crawled underneath a few crates that formed a makeshift roof above her. As the young girl drifted into unconsciousness she felt the ship underneath her starting to move and the last thing that she saw was Commander's Zhao's ship in the distance heading in the direction of the Fire Nation. The only thing that registered in her mind as she watched Commander Zhao's ship disappear was that the ship was going in the opposite direction and she was free. Her freedom may not last long, but at least she was free for now.


	3. Chapter 3 Doctor's Orders

**Chapter 3**

**Doctor's Order's**

The sound of a boisterous laugh from one man filled the air as several other men stared down at what was a game board. A small Pai Sho piece adorned with a carving of a lotus was the focus of the men's attention. Like a chorus, the men groaned in defeat as the man who was laughing grinned triumphantly.

"I win again!" he laughed, his wrinkled hands placed on his round stomach and his wise and aged golden eyes filled with mirth and laughter. The other men groaned at their defeat and held their heads in their hands. The old man's laughter died down and turning his attention away from the Pai Sho board he gazed out the control room's window to see the vast ocean before him. "Such a beautiful day," he sighed as he gazed outward at the sparkling blue sea. Glancing downward, the old man caught a glimpse of a young teenage boy, his nephew, as he delivered a barrage of firebending based attacks at an invisible opponent. "He isn't going to learn much if he continues training this way. . ." the old man sighed as he stared down at his nephew. Suddenly the door to the control room opened and another crew member stepped into the room.

"General Iroh," said the man as he entered the room. The old man turned around and smiled.

"Ah, good morning," Iroh smiled as he greeted the man who stood in the doorway, "is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually," the man hesitated for a moment before speaking up again, "Yes. Me and a few other men were taking some crates down to storage and. . . well, we found something." Iroh, looked at the man, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"What exactly did you find?" The man didn't answer, he only gestured for Iroh to follow him. Iroh followed the man without complaint. Staying behind the man by just a few feet, Iroh made his way down the stairs and through the labyrinth of hallways until they were standing outside on the deck. The two men made a turn once they exited and made their way towards the back of the ship, catching the eye of a young man.

"Uncle," called the young man as he turned to watch his Uncle walk away, "where are you going?" The young man's voice was harsh and somewhat demanding as he looked at his Uncle with golden eyes that were fierce as they glinted in the sunlight and seemed to be stuck in a permanent glare. The old man didn't answer, he merely walked away ignoring his nephew's question. The young man furrowed his brow in frustration and spoke louder, "Uncle!" he called a second time. His uncle didn't answer him still. A low and throaty growl managed to escape his clenched teeth, annoyed by his uncle's ignorance. "UNCLE!" the boy roared as he stormed after his Uncle. Gruffly, he put his hand on his Uncle's shoulder and forced him to turn around a bit.

"Oh, hello, Prince Zuko," smiled Iroh, his eyes full of kindness with no signs of hostility, "and how are you this morning?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Prince Zuko grumbled under his breath since he did not want to discuss the morning's occurrences with his uncle, "Where are you going?" he asked in a demanding tone that his uncle and the crew had grown accustomed to over the years.

"This gentleman said that there was something that I should see in the back," Iroh said with that same gentle smile.

"What exactly are you showing him?" Prince Zuko demanded of the crew member. The man looked at Zuko and sighed.

"I think its best that you see for yourself. . ." he said, hesitance filled his voice. The young Prince raised a frustrated eyebrow at the man and in response he shrank back, intimidated by the young prince's demanding gaze. Letting out a frustrated sigh he followed the man.

Hidden in the shadows of the ship's tower, the three men stood in front of a pile of crates. Silence filled the air as Iroh and Prince Zuko waited on the man to show what ever it was he wanted to show them. Several moments passed and the young Prince growled in annoyance.

"So, are you going to show us what you found? Or are you going to just stand there?" he barked. Iroh put a hand on his nephew's shoulder to calm him somewhat escalated temper. The man maneuvered his way through the vast amounts of barrels and crates, occasionally pushing a few aside to make way for his higher ups. What Iroh saw before his eyes was nothing he expected.

Before the three men was a young girl almost completely covered in blood. Not only were her clothes, or what remained of them, stained with the dark red color of her blood, but her face and skin caked with it. Underneath the outer layer of dried blood they could see the numerous lacerations and wounds that were still leaking small amounts of blood, like a faucet that hadn't been completely turned off. Underneath the brilliant red color that covered her skin, the young girl's skin was extremely pale and almost showed no signs of color. Upon seeing the unconscious girl, Iroh stopped in his tracks and stared at her fallen figure wide eyed. Because of his sudden stop, Prince Zuko bumped roughly into his Uncle.

"Uncle, why'd you sto-?" Prince Zuko's voice trailed off and he too stared at the girl wide eyed.

"Why didn't you say that b this /b was what you wanted to show me?!" Uncle Iroh shouted, his eyes filled with worry as his gaze shifted between the girl on the ground and the man.

"I'm sorry sir; I didn't know what to do,"

"Is she still alive?" Iroh asked as he quickly knelt beside the fallen girl.

"Yeah, she looks like she's still breathing. . ." Iroh took hold of her limp arm and pressed two of his fingers against her wrist. Despite the fact that it was very faint, her pulse was there. Without wasting anytime, Iroh turned to his nephew who still remained standing, staring at the girl dumbfounded with his mouth slightly agape.

"Prince Zuko!" he called to his nephew, trying to grab hold of his attention. Prince Zuko snapped from his slight trance and looked at his uncle. "Don't just stand there take this girl to the infirmary!"

Prince Zuko looked down at the girl and knelt down. He reached over to her slowly and lifted her limp body carefully in his arms. She was fairly light, but she dangled from his grip in such a way that made him wonder if she was really alive. Prince Zuko, adjusted the girl's body making her flop around like rag doll for a bit until he finally found a comfortable way to carry her. Slowly he stood up, trying not to lose his balance, holding the girl tightly against his chest. Uncle Iroh soon got up from the ground and hurried him in the direction of the infirmary.

"Hey! Watch it Uncle, you're gonna make me drop her!" he barked at his uncle as he pushed his nephew down the hallways of the ship. Prince Zuko's golden eyes gazed down at the girl as he continued to walk down the halls of the ship. Her face, underneath her black hair and blood caked skin; he could see her sunken cheeks and dark rings that lay underneath her eyes. Zuko's arms moved slightly underneath her body and suddenly she began to groan and writhe in pain. Her groans of agony echoed through the hallways and reverberated through Prince Zuko's ears as he looked down at her. He stopped for a brief moment to adjust her body in his arms and soon the girl quieted down.

Zuko's eyes were filled with worry as he looked down at the unconscious girl. However, his concern was not for the girl. He was more worried about what he was doing. The slightest movement seemed to bring the mangled girl great discomfort and agony. She was like a porcelain doll in his arms, so delicate that one wrong move would shatter her frail body into pieces. Iroh walked ahead of the prince and held the door open to the infirmary and Zuko quickly went in.

The doctor, who was asleep in his chair with his head thrown back and his mouth agape, letting a small trail of drool escape his lips, woke suddenly from the sudden intrusion of Prince Zuko, his Uncle, and the unconscious girl.

"Er, wha?" the doctor mumbled as he awoke from his stupor, "General Iroh, Prince Zuko. What bring you here-" the doctor stopped talking when he saw the blood covered girl in the Prince's arms. His eyes widened behind his spectacles at the sight. Just to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating, he quickly removed his glasses, rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. "GOOD GODS!" the doctor exclaimed, "How the hell-?!"

"We don't know!" Prince Zuko barked sternly at the doctor.

"One of the crew found her at the back of the ship," Iroh explained, "She was already like this when we found her."

"Well, don't just stand there Prince Zuko put her down!" he shouted, his eyes wide with panic and worry.

"Don't order me around like that. . ." growled the Prince, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the doctor who dared to give him an order, "You would do well to mind your place and-"

"Prince Zuko!" interrupted his Uncle, "You would do well to mind the fact that you are carrying a dying girl in your arms!" Iroh let out a sigh and held his hand to his face, "Just put her down, my nephew. . ." As his Uncle left the room, Prince Zuko sighed and put the girl down on the cot that rested up against the wall. The doctor took a minute to feel for her nearly non existent pulse. Suddenly, and much to Zuko's surprise, he tore the girl's shirt open, exposing her injured torso. Prince Zuko gawked at the doctor in disbelief.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" he asked, incredibly surprised by doctor's actions. A light pink shade tinted his cheeks as he glanced down at the girl, her almost bare chest there for him to see.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" the doctor asked, unaware of how strange his actions seemed. He looked down at the girl and suddenly realized what the young prince was thinking about, "Ohhhh. . . NO! I'm not gonna do **THAT** if that's what you're thinking!" the doctor almost laughed a bit at the Prince's clueless behavior.

"Then what exactly do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm going to treat and close up those wounds hers," he explained, turning his attention away from the girl. He began to push Prince Zuko out the door.

"Hey, let go off me!" Prince Zuko barked as he was being pushed towards the door.

"Sorry, but you gotta leave," the doctor said with a smile.

"Why?! I have every right to stay in this room!" Prince Zuko barked. He quickly turned around to face the doctor. The doctor raised an eyebrow and leaned against the door frame.

"Do you have a reason to stay here?" inquired the doctor.

"Well. . ." Prince Zuko thought about it for a moment. Now thinking about it, he didn't have any reason to stay. He didn't even know why it was he wanted to stay in the first place.

"Exactly," sighed the doctor.

"Well . . ." stammered Prince Zuko, "I dunno. Maybe I could help?" It was clear to see that Zuko was trying to find any reason to stay. Perhaps it was some fear that the doctor would do something to the girl if he wasn't there.

"Uh-huh. . ." the doctor nodded as he raised an eyebrow, "So you want to help?" Zuko nodded, "Do you know how to perform a blood transfusion?" asked the doctor as he extended his arm, letting his hand rest against the other side of the door.

"Well, no . . ." Prince Zuko mumbled.

"Okay then. BYE! " said the doctor in a cheerful manner before a sliding door closed right in front of the young prince.

"What the-?!" exclaimed Prince Zuko as he looked around and found he was standing in the hallway, "When did I end up here? Wait! Let me in dammit!" he exclaimed as he banged on the door.

"Sorry, Prince Zuko, but you're gonna have to stay outside for now! Doctor's orders!" called the doctor's voice from inside the infirmary. Prince Zuko growled angrily and stopped banging on the door. Suddenly, the door opened revealing the doctor. Only instead this time he wore a serious expression on his face. "Look, I'll call you and your Uncle down here when I'm done if you want, okay?" and without another word the door closed slowly, leaving Prince Zuko to stand alone in the hallway.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Oh my god… I am so sorry about this sorta crappy chapter. Yes, I know it's not quite as good as the last two, but gimme a break! T.T –bows head in shame-

I'm just hoping that the slight input of comedy at the end made up for it… and if it didn't well… here's a picture of what I think the doctor would look like

http://img463.imageshack.us/img463/5286/dochottiedrhatoriblackft2.jpg

I PROMISE that the next chapter will be better

-BeautifullyAbstract

P.S review would be much appreciated


	4. Chapter 4 Bite The Hand That Helps

**Chapter 4**

**Bite The Hand That Helps**

The loud sound of a man's snore filled the room and reverberated against the metal walls of the small doctor's office. At his desk, the doctor slept soundly underneath the small piles unused of gauze bandages, completely oblivious to anything that was going on around him as he snored away. An ominous shadow loomed over the sleeping doctor for several moments. A pair of glaring eyes bored into the doctor's back as the mysterious person stood quietly behind him, watching the sleepy doctor's every move, like a snake waiting for it's prey. The person's hand tightened around the small object they held in their hand, making it glint in the light for a split second. Suddenly, the figure's hand shot out and grabbed onto the doctor's ponytail. Violently, his head was jerked up from the table making the gauze that covered his head, along with several other items that were spread across his desk, fall to the ground. The man let out a cry of pain as he was pulled by his short ponytail. Like lightning, his attacker dragged his body towards them, rolling chair and all.

"Don't make a sound," the voice growled, "if you do I'll kill you. . .Now I want you to answer a few questions. . ." The doctor made chuckled a bit, trying to ease the tension of the situation.

"Well, if I don't make a sound, then how can I answer your question?" he said with a nervous laugh. His attacker tightened their grip and jerked the doctor's head back violently, giving him whiplash. The doctor groaned in pain as he was forced to look a bit at the ceiling. Only then did he realize that there was one of his scalpels was pressed against his neck, threatening to end his life with one slice, "Ow! Okay. . . what do you want?" asked the doctor in a serious tone. His eyes narrowed as he craned around to look at his attacker.

"First question. . ." the voice whispered, even though the tone of his attacker's voice was soft it was still just as threatening. The doctor's eyes widened upon realizing who his attacker was. Even though he had never heard this person's voice it was easy to tell who it was. The voice was female. "Where the **hell **am I?" growled the voice.

"You're in the infirmary. . ." the doctor explained, his eyes glancing down in an attempt to see the weapon held to his neck. The doctor gave up on his futile attempt to look at the scalpel that was held to his neck. Instead, his eyes looked around for the cot only to find it empty.

"And where exactly is this infirmary?" asked the voice. The doctor answered the question as he discreetly reached into his pocket. He grasped a small object that somewhat resembled a vial and slowly, he pushed his thumb against the cap that covered one end and removed it, revealing a small needle. He shook the object in his hand slightly and through his finger tips he felt a liquid sloshing inside.

"_Good, it's full_. . ." he said to himself mentally. Suddenly his hand shot out of his pocket and he swung his arm around in hopes of reaching his attacker. His arm came to an abrupt stop and he gulped nervously as he tried to glance down at the scalpel. A nerve racking pause ensued as the doctor mentally prayed to the gods, hoping he had hit his attacker with needle. Quickly, using his free hand, the doctor grabbed the scalpel away from his attacker and lurched out of the chair and clumsily fell against the door. He panted frantically as he held the scalpel in front of him in defense in one hand while his other hand grasped the empty vial-like contraption in the other, using the door behind him as support. Like a puppet whose strings had been cut, a girl collapsed onto the ground before his eyes. As the doctor tried to regain his composure after escaping near death, he looked at the girl. Her long black hair fell gracefully off of her bandaged body and spilled onto the floor. Her red eyes, filled with rage and fury, seemed to bore into the very core of the doctor's soul. It was the girl that Prince Zuko and Iroh had brought in earlier.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME?!" roared the girl from the ground, her eyes focused completely and solely on the doctor. The girl's intense and unwavering gaze unnerved the doctor as the girl desperately tried to move her limbs, but to no avail. As the girl struggled to move on the ground, the doctor let out a sigh of relief and put the scalpel away in a drawer. "WHY CAN'T I MOVE?!" the girl exclaimed, making the doctor flinch a bit as he refilled up the vial with the strange clear liquid.

"Sorry, about that kid. . ." he sighed as he wiped the small amount of sweat on his brow, "Don't worry it's nothing bad, just a mixture I made using some Shirshu venom. . ."

"WHAT?!" she bellowed.

"Hey, it just means that you won't be able to move for a while, it's not that big of deal. Besides, in your condition you shouldn't be moving."

"I'm FINE!" growled the girl as she blew at a stray strand of hair that dangled annoyingly by her nose.

"Hey, who's the doctor here?" he asked jokingly then fallen girl let out a growl of disapproval at his somewhat sarcastic comment making the doctor gulp nervously. "How you even got up in the first place is beyond me, but all I know is that you're staying put. Okay?"

"BITE ME!" barked the girl as she desperately tried to move. Sighing, the doctor bent down beside her and moved to pick her up. The girl's crimson eyes suddenly widened in surprise as the doctor lifted up her bandaged body. "PUT ME DOWN!!! LET GO!!" she shouted, hoping that her screams would convince the doctor to put her down since she couldn't move. Seeing that her demands wouldn't be met, she craned her head and suddenly she bit down on the doctor's arm and refused to let go, like a trap that snapped on the limb of an unsuspecting animal.

"OW!" yelped the doctor as the girl's teeth sank deeper into his skin. The taste of blood filled the young girl's mouth as she bit down on his arm harder. Quickly, the doctor ran over to the cot and dumped her roughly onto it. The girl let out a small grunt of discomfort as pain coursed through her body, but she continued to sink her teeth into the doctor's flesh. The doctor cried out in pain as he reached for her body and using his index finger he pushed pressure point on her side.

The girl glanced up at the doctor, her eyes curious as to what he had done when suddenly her eyes grew heavy. Even though she couldn't do much to move her limbs, she felt them grow incredibly heavy. The world began to spin and blur, disorienting the young girl as she drifted reluctantly into unconsciousness. Obstinately, she kept her crimson eyes slightly open, determined to stay awake so she could keep biting the doctor.

The doctor looked down at her nervously and watched her eyes slowly begin to close. He felt her teeth slowly removing themselves from his arm, but the girl did not let go completely. Achingly, the doctor moved his arm, along with the girl's head, towards the pillow that rested towards the end of the cot. Using his arm as a sort of steering wheel, he put the girl's head down on the pillow as she stubbornly bit into his arm.

Slowly, the girl's clenched jaw relaxed and her head gently fell against the pillow. The doctor pulled his newly freed arm back immediately. Even though he knew full well that the girl was out cold, and would be for a few hours, he stilled feared that the girl would spring back to life and bite down the limb that was within her head's reach. The doctor glanced down at his arm and was shocked to see how deep the girl's teeth sank into his arm. Blood trickled down his arm and dripped onto the floor steadily while some of his blood managed to drip onto his clothes. His muscles twitched in pain as blood continued to escape the bite wound while the doctor searched through his cabinets for bandages, since he couldn't find the leftover bandages after they fell under his desk.

The doctor got a hold of several bandages, a small washcloth, along with a paste that he kept in a bottle. Carefully, the doctor used the washcloth to wipe away at the blood and to clean the wound before applying the paste. The paste was his own concoction made of several different herbs used for healing. It's purpose was to not only prevent the wound it was applied to from bleeding anymore, but it also fought infection and made scars that appeared in the future from the wound seem less noticeable. The doctor, keeping the one hand that held the washcloth on the wound, opened the bottle and let a sigh when he saw that there was barely any left. His eyes glanced momentarily at the girl, who rested peacefully on the cot, and remembered how he had applied the paste to her numerous wounds. He leaned back into his rolling chair and applied as much of the paste as he could before wrapping his arm in the bandage.

The doctor's focus fell upon the unconscious girl and was almost amazed to see her sleeping. She was so calm! It was amazing that just moments before she had threatened his life, screamed like a banshee as she tried to move, and then attempted to bite the doctor's arm off. Her face was relaxed underneath the stray strands of her hair that fell across her face. The girl's bandaged chest rose and fell slowly with every breath she took and her muscles showed no signs of tension like they did before. It was like she was a different person. As the doctor looked over her there was a knock a sudden knock at the door that made him jump in surprise.

"Hello!" called the voice.

"AGUH!!!" screamed the doctor as he fell to the ground, fearing that the girl would jump him from behind.

"Hello?" the voice called again, accompanied by another knock, "Are you alright?"

"Uh. . ." stammered the doctor as he got up from the ground. Taking a deep breath, he quickly regained his composure before opening the sliding door. The door opened and the doctor was greeted with the kind smile from Iroh. "Oh. . . it's just you General Iroh. . ." he said, breathing a sigh of relief, "what can I do for you?" asked the doctor as he gestured for Iroh to come in.

"I just thought I would stop by and check up on that young lady we brought in earlier," Iroh said as he walked inside the infirmary, "Has she woken yet?" he asked as he took a seat in the rolling chair near the cot, not really looking at the girl.

"Oh, yeah she woke up alright. . ." laughed the doctor nervously as the rolling chair away from the girl with Iroh still sitting in it. Iroh glanced momentarily at the girl and then at the doctor, his eyes full of curiosity.

"What's wrong? You seem distressed. . ." said Uncle as he looked at the nerve-wrecked doctor, "did something happen?"

"It's a **long** story. . ." sighed the doctor. Looking down at Iroh, the doctor saw that his eyes were full of curiosity. Succumbing to Iroh's silent plea, the doctor pulled up another chair and explained what had taken place moments before Iroh's arrival. Iroh placed a hand on his chin and listened intently to the doctor's story.

"My! She did all that?" Iroh asked when the doctor finished his story. The doctor nodded as he got up from his chair and walked over to his unconscious patient. He sighed as he administered another shot of the Shirshu venom related drug into the girl's arm. "What that for?" asked Uncle as he looked at the vial.

"Nothing really. . .I just want to make sure that when she wakes up that she doesn't jump and attack the first living thing she sees. . ." said the doctor as he gestured to his bandaged arm.

"UNCLE!" called a voice outside in the hallway. Iroh got up slowly from his chair and walked to the door.

"I'm in here, Prince Zuko," smiled Iroh as he waved to his nephew to come into the infirmary. Prince Zuko growled as he stormed after his uncle.

"I have been looking for you everywhere!" he shouted as he walked down the hall, "Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to find you. The men won't stop asking me about music night! You're the one they should be asking and-" As Zuko vented, he eventually reached the infirmary and suddenly he stopped and stood in the doorway, his eyes wide. His uncle looked at him with curiosity, silently questioning why his nephew had stopped suddenly in the door. The doctor, too, raised an eyebrow at the hot headed prince's reaction. Prince Zuko's shocked stare was neither focused on his uncle, nor the doctor.

"Prince Zuko, what's wrong?" asked Iroh.

"You okay?" asked the doctor, "do you want me to take a look at you?"

"Why is that girl half naked….? O.o" stammered Zuko as he stared at the girl on cot, who only wore her underwear accompanied by the numerous bandages that covered her chest along with the rest of her body.

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**Author's Note**:

Wierd place to stop the chapter, huh? XD

well, anyways stick around for the next one and I just wanna say that... **AVATAR COMES BACK TOMORROW!!** -does a victory jig- WOOT!!!!

-BeautifullyAbstract


	5. Chapter 5 Name

**Chapter 5**

**Name**

"Why is that girl half naked….? O.o" stammered Zuko as he stared at the girl on cot, who only wore her underwear accompanied by the numerous bandages that covered her chest along with the rest of her body. The doctor pondered about the prince's question and turned around to see what he was talking about. Upon seeing and realizing that the girl was half naked his eyes widened.

"Oh my. . ." mumbled Iroh, his eyes a bit wide.

"Oops," mumbled the doctor, "I guess I forgot. . ."

"How do you forget something like **that**?!" exclaimed the flustered prince. The doctor let out an exhausted sigh as he walked across the room and opened a small closet that stood against the wall. Ignoring Prince Zuko's question, he removed his ponytail and ran a hand through his black hair in an exhausted manner before pulling a large coat from the closet.

"This should fit. . ." the doctor muttered to himself as he examined the coat from behind his spectacles. Hesitantly, he walked over to the cot and looked at the unconscious girl. Slowly, he reached for her body only to stop himself inches away from her arm. Prince Zuko raised an eyebrow when the doctor suddenly pulled his arm back and took a step back from the girl.

"What on earth are you doing?" inquired Prince Zuko with a slight, "stop this foolishness and get some clothes on her!" he barked.

"Right," sighed the doctor, realizing that the prince was right. He had knocked the girl out cold and even gave her a second shot of the Shirshu related medicine, it was stupid to even consider the possibility that she would spring to life. As the doctor lifted up the girl's body so he could get the coat on, a surge of pain shot through his arm making the doctor's face twist in agony. Iroh's ever watchful and observant eyes saw the doctor's discomfort and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Allow me," smiled Iroh. The doctor looked at him and nodded. Iroh gently pushed the doctor aside and resumed dressing the girl in the coat. As he closed up the jacket button by button he noticed how incredibly thin she was. It was not the healthy sort of thin either, the girl looked half starved. Iroh turned to his nephew, "Prince Zuko why don't you go and get some food and water. She will probably want something to eat when she wakes up."

"Why?" asked the Prince, raising an eyebrow at his uncle's request.

"Don't worry about it Prince Zuko, I'll do it. . ." said the doctor as he passed by Prince Zuko, patting him on the shoulder, "I need some air. . ." he sighed as he closed the door behind him.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Prince Zuko.

"He had a bit of a rude awakening," explained Uncle as he looked down at the girl. After what the doctor told him, Iroh found it incredibly hard to believe that this girl was the cause of the doctor's pain.

"What exactly happened?" asked Prince Zuko, leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest. Iroh sat down in the chair once again and patted the seat next him. Prince Zuko pushed himself off the wall and slumped down into the chair and listened to his uncle as he explained everything. Immersing themselves in the story, they were completely oblivious to what was happening on the cot.

Slowly, the girl stirred from her unconsciousness and let out a soft and inaudible groan as she forced her eyes open. The sounds of distant mummerings were the only thing that seemed to reach her ears. Her eye lids felt heavy, making opening them all the way impossible. For now she would have to deal with her blurred and distorted vision of the world. Keeping her eyes closed, she listened in on Iroh and Prince Zuko's conversation.

"Did she really do all that?" asked Prince Zuko.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," sighed Uncle Iroh. The girl slowly opened one eye, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the two new men in the room, but before she her eyes even adjusted to the light, she heard the sound of the door to the infirmary opening. Quickly, she closed her eyes tightly and her face relaxed, assuming her previously unconscious look.

"Oh, Welcome back doctor," smiled Iroh, upon seeing the doctor come back into the room. In his hands the doctor held a small tray of food accompanied by a glass of cold water.

"So is she still out?" asked the doctor. The girl could here the doctor's footsteps approach her through her closed eyes and she could sense his presence as he stood by her cot.

"Yes, she hasn't moved or made a sound since you left," she heard Iroh said.

The doctor moved to put the tray of food and water down on the small table behind the young girl's head and let out a sigh of relief, "That's goo-" Suddenly and without warning the girl's eyes snapped open revealing her lively crimson eyes and without a moment's hesitation, she opened her mouth, snarling, and clamped down onto the doctor's hand again! "AUGH! DAMMIT!" cried the doctor in pain. The girl's sudden movement caused the doctor to knock the tray over, spilling its contents on the floor. Uncle Iroh's eyes widened at the once unconscious girl's sudden livelihood. The girl clamped onto the doctor's uninjured arm with as much ferocity, if not more, as before. The doctor desperately tried to get the snarling animal-like girl off of his arm as blood dripped like small waterfalls onto the ground as well as the girl's mouth. The copper like taste of the doctor's blood disgusted the girl, and made her stomach churned, but she stubbornly held on.

Prince Zuko sat in his seat, staring at the scene in shock for several moments before he shot out of his seat and ran towards the girl and the doctor. At first he tried pulling the doctor away from the girl, but the girl's persistence prevailed and her teeth remained latched onto the poor doctor's arm. The doctor's cries of pain grew with every passing second. Even though it seemed like the girl couldn't sink her teeth any deeper, she somehow found a way to sink her canines deeper and deeper into the doctor's bleeding flesh. Fearing that her teeth would be able to reach the bone, the doctor quickly bashed his fist against the side her head. The girl instantly released the doctor's arm to let out a sharp cry of agony.

Prince Zuko quickly pushed the girl down onto the cot, forgetting that she was paralyzed from the neck down. Prince Zuko looked down at the girl as she bared her blood covered teeth and glared up at him with her crimson eyes. Looking down at her mouth and lips, he saw that some of the doctor's blood escaped the corner of her lips in a small trickle. A throaty loud growl managed to escape the girl's clenched teeth as her piercing gaze focused on the scarred prince. She gazed up at the young boy's scar and pondered about it and her furious gaze softened for a moment. But she quickly shoved the thoughts of the boy's scar to the corner of her mind and her hardened gaze returned and quickly, she craned her head and opened her mouth. Prince Zuko's eyes widened, realizing what she was going to do only it was a little too late. The girl clamped onto his arm only to release it a second later.

"AUGH!" she cried out, pain resonating from her teeth. Zuko looked down at where he had expected to feel the pain only to realize that he was still wearing his armor. She rolled her head from side to side, biting down on her lip as some way to suppress the newly acquired pain in her mouth. Prince Zuko slowly backed away from the girl, clutching his arm fearfully. The doctor was already busy wrapping his arm in a bandage as Iroh made his way towards the paralyzed girl.

"Uncle, don't do it!" shouted Prince Zuko as his Uncle walked towards the girl. The old man ignored his nephew's call and merely pulled up a chair and sat beside the infuriated girl. The doctor stood back silently watching the old man as he sat beside the girl. A silence fell over the room with the exception of the girl's short pants as she desperately tried to regain her breath.

"Hello," Iroh said amiably as he smiled at the girl.

"Oh shove it!" barked the girl who was slightly irked at the old man's friendly behavior.

"Oh my. . ." laughed Iroh as he stroked his beard, "you're certainly one energetic young lady."

"Just wait till I start moving again! THEN I'll show you energetic!" she growled as she tried to move her limbs again for the umpteenth time.

"Like hell you will!" shouted the doctor as he clutched his newly injured arm, "you nearly bit off both of my arms already! What do have to say for yourself?!" he shouted as he showed the bandages on his arms. A smirk spread across the girl's lips as she chuckled.

"I'm sorry for not biting you harder. . . " The doctor's attempt to make her feel bad for what she had done failed, the sight of the doctor's bandaged arms only made her chuckle.

"We're not here to hurt you miss. . ." said Iroh in his usual calm and soothing tone. The girl looked up at him doubtfully. His voice sounded so honest and sincere that she even found it difficult to not trust the old man.

"Why should I believe you?" she demanded, her voice softened a bit.

"If we were going to hurt you, do you think we'd have gone through the trouble of fixing your wounds?" he heard the voice of the young Prince ask. The girl had almost forgotten about the boy and her eyes searched the room for him. She found him leaning against the wall, his arms folded across his armored chest and his eyes narrowed as he glared at her. Her crimson eyes and his golden eyes met and instantly, their already narrow and glaring eyes, filled instantly with hostility towards each other.

"Then why did you give me that stuff so I can't move?" she demanded, remembering how the doctor injected the Shirshu related medicine in her sigh.

"Well," sighed the doctor, "you didn't give me much of a choice. You were the one who attacked me in the first place."

"Well you kn- AUGH!!" the girl suddenly cried out in pain making the three men jump in surprise. Even though she couldn't move her body, the three of them could clearly see her body twitching and writhing in pain underneath the doctor's coat.

"What's wrong?" asked Iroh worriedly. The girl responded with an agonized moan as her body involuntarily convulsed in pain. The doctor quickly walked over to her, but before he did anything he stopped.

"If I help you do promise not to bite, kick, punch, shout, or attack in any physical and or verbal manner?" he asked.

"Ugh. . . no way. . ." she groaned until suddenly the pain seemed to peak and increase rapidly, "OKAY! Okay, I promise!" she shouted. Her crimson eyes closed in pain and she bit down on her lips as a way to fight against the waves of pain that coursed through her mangled frame. The doctor quickly unbuttoned and opened the jacket only to find blood seeping slowly through the bandages.

"Damn, they've reopened. . ." he muttered to himself.

"Is there anything I can do to assist you?" asked Iroh as he looked at the girl's suddenly worsening condition.

"Can you get me some extra bandages, General Iroh?" he asked while he busied himself by unraveling some of the blood soaked bandages. The girl's eyes widened upon hearing the old man's name.

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed upon hearing the Dragon of the West's name.

"What did I say about the shouting?" he reminded her quickly as he tossed the blood soaked bandages in the nearest waste basket. The girl immediately quieted down.

"Prince Zuko, go get some water and a washcloth," said Iroh as he went to the doctor's side, bandages in hand. The girl suddenly gasped and her eyes grew wider.

"Sorry, am I hurting you?" asked the doctor as he removed the last of the blood soaked bandages from her body.

"Y-yeah. . ." stammered the girl as she winced in pain. However, the reason behind her sudden gasp was not because of her pain. She had soon forgotten about that. She nervously looked down as her sudden realization began to sink in. She was on the ship of the Fire Nation's banished Prince Zuko. Of all the ships that she had to jump on she had to jump onto this one! From the cot she watched Prince Zuko leave silently with worried eyes as the doctor inspected her wounds. Her worried gaze quickly turned to the ceiling as she silently worried about what she, a Fire Nation criminal, would do if General Iroh, the doctor and Prince Zuko if they found out who she was. The young girl was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice the doctor's eyes focusing on a long dark scar that ran along the length of her left arm.

"Is something troubling you miss?" asked the coaxing voice of Iroh, "are your wounds hurting more?" The girl shook her head, almost frantically as she continued to stare up at the ceiling.

"Uncle, I got the water. . ." she heard Zuko say as he reentered the room, a bowl of water and a wash cloth in hand. The doctor motioned Zuko to come over and hand him the bowl and he silently obeyed. "She doing okay?" asked Prince Zuko as the doctor took the bowl of water away from his hand.

"Yeah," said the doctor, "Kai's been through worse. She'll be fine." Said he doctor absentmindedly as he wiped the blood off the girl's skin. Lost in the sea of her worries, the girl drowned out all the conversation in the room as her eyes remained locked on a single bolt on the ceiling. Her gaze remained unwavering as the doctor proceeded to clean her wounds. The doctor raised an eyebrow at the girl's zombie like stare and unmoving focus. "Hey, you okay?" he asked waving a hand in front of her face. The girl blinked and looked at the doctor.

"Yeah, I'm fine. . ." she growled, slightly annoyed as the doctor carefully sat her paralyzed body upright. A prickling sensation spread from the girl's toes to her fingertips as she slowly felt her body starting to regain some of its mobility. As the doctor rewound the bandages around her body, she gazed down at her hands and slowly began to move her fingertips.

"Are you feeling any better?" asked Iroh, looking at the girl even though her focus was clearly elsewhere.

"Uncle, she just said she was fine!" growled Prince Zuko, "You don't need to repeat the same question."

"Well, you can't really blame one for being worried," sighed Iroh, shaking his head, "you could at least show some concern for miss. . ." Iroh's voice suddenly trailed off and placing a hand on his bearded chin, he began to think, "I'm sorry miss, I don't think I know your name." he laughed.

"It's Kai. . ." the girl said quietly, turning her attention from her hands to Iroh.

**Author's Note**:

-exaggerated gasp- ZOMG! Now we finally know the name of the mysterious girl! –hums Twilight Zone music-

But yeah, this is the first time I mentioned her name here. . . so yeah now you know. . . unless, you've read the older version of this comic and already knew her name. . .

Eh, oh well stick around for the next one and once again I apologize for all the typos O.o

-BeautifullyAbstract


	6. Chapter 6 Sleep and a Moment of Peace

**Chapter 6**

**Sleep and a Moment of Peace**

"Kai?" asked Uncle Iroh, "that's a lovely name for a young lady." He said with a hearty laugh. The young girl raised an eyebrow at the old man's reaction. "I mean that as a compliment. Plus, it suits you quite well," he said with a smile, "isn't that right Prince Zuko?"

"How the hell would I know?" he barked at his Uncle. His piercing, glaring eyes turned from his uncle and looked at the girl sitting on the cot. Like before, the moment their eyes met, they began to glare at each other.

"What are you looking at?" she growled quietly as she tried to change her position on the cot.

"Nothing!" barked Prince Zuko. He sharply turned around and made his way toward the door, ignoring the girl.

"Prince Zuko. . ." sighed Uncle Iroh. The old man got up from the chair and began to follow his nephew. His wrinkled hand stretched out in from of him, reaching for his nephew, silently beckoning him to stay. Meanwhile, the doctor turned around to return order to his disheveled desk. He let out a groan before he bent over and began picking up several papers that fell underneath his desk.

Kai looked down at her lap, which was mostly covered by the doctor's oversized coat, and sighed. Slowly, she reached for the edge of the cot and pulled herself towards it. With every move her and every inch, the wounds that were scattered across her body seemed to scream in agony, begging Kai to stop. But, she ignored her pain and pressed forward. Her legs shook uncontrollably as she attempted to stand and she clung to the edge of the cot like her life depended on it.

The feeling of the cold metal soothed the young girl's aching feet and momentarily brought her aching body comfort. However, that comfortable feeling soon disappeared. Too weak to stand, Kai's body collapsed onto the cold ground and a new wave of pain coursed through her body. The doctor, Iroh and Zuko turned when they heard a low, but loud thud behind them.

"Nnggh!!" grumbled Kai as she fought the urge to cry out in pain. The doctor ran to her side and proceeded to help her up.

"Good gods, Kai. . ." he grumbled.

"Let go of me!" shouted Kai as the doctor picked her off the ground and put her back onto the cot.

"Look, you need to lay still and rest. The sooner you stop squirming the sooner you'll recover." Sighed the doctor as he pulled the blanket over Kai. Kai thought about this for moment and realized that the doctor was right.

"Fine. . ." she sighed. Kai took her crimson eyes off of the doctor and gazed up at the ceiling.

"Dr. Shin, Prince Zuko and I will leave you to tend to the young lady," said Iroh as he walked towards the door. His old, wrinkled hand reached out and gently took hold of the arm of his young nephew, "Come along Prince Zuko," He smiled. Zuko's arm jerked back merely out of reflex, but then relaxed, "Prince Zuko, Miss Yamagata will be fine."

"I wasn't worried about her!" he grumbled "Let's just go. . ." Kai rolled her eyes at Prince Zuko's reaction and turned her gaze to the wall adjacent to the cot. Kai could hear the sliding door open and then close and afterwards she heard the doctor get up from his seat and walk to the other side of the room. She achingly rolled her head to the side and saw the doctor looking through a chest beside a large cabinet.

"There's got to be something. . ." she heard the doctor mumble as he leafed through the chest. Kai raised and eyebrow and she craned her neck a little in an attempt to see what the doctor was looking for. Suddenly, he pulled out a pair of pants and a fairly large tank top. "Okay," sighed the doctor as he walked back towards the cot, "This may be a little big, but it's the smallest thing I have."

"What?" asked Kai. The doctor moved beside her and carefully lifted her up from the cot so she was sitting up straight. A groan of discomfort escaped Kai's lips and she cringed in pain. The doctor then positioned her body so her back was against the wall. The sensation of the cool metal against her back was soothing and relaxed her a bit. The doctor ignored her question and put the clothes on the cot and pulled out a bottle from his coat pocket. He popped open the bottle and held it Kai's lips. She shrank away from it and looked at the doctor suspiciously. "Okay, what the hell is that?" she demanded.

"This is just something that should dull the pain your feeling," explained Dr. Shin, "I need to change your clothes and I don't want to hurt you." Kai stared sternly at the Doctor for several moments, trying to figure out what his true intentions were. Seeing that he was telling the truth, Kai sighed and opened her mouth.

"Fine," she opened her mouth and allowed the doctor pour a small amount of the medicine into her mouth and she swallowed it obediently. Almost immediately, Kai could feel the pain from her aching muscles fade and numb. The only thing she could feel was a faint tingling sensation that spread from her toes to the tips of her fingers and everything around her seemed to blur around her. Her limbs suddenly grew heavy and I feeling of drowsiness overtook her.

"Okay, the medicine should be working right about now. How do you feel?" he asked.

"I. . .I. . I'm kind of sleepy. . ." she said in a voice that was barely audible.

"That's normal," explained Dr. Shin as she unbuttoned the coat that draped over Kai's small frame. As he did this Kai's eyes seemed to slowly close against her will. She desperately tried to keep her eyes open. "Okay, done." She heard Dr. Shin say. Kai opened her red eyes and looked down and saw that she was in the outfit that the doctor picked out for her. The pants he had put on her were soft against her legs as well as the shirt. However, both were far to big for her body. If it weren't for the draw string that encompassed the waist of the pants, they would've easily fallen off and if it weren't for the bandages wrapped around her chest, the tank top would have easily exposed her breast. But, Kai didn't care, the only thing that registered in her mind was that she was clothed, and that was all she cared about. Kai's head lolled lazily to side and she felt her body starting to topple over, instead of hitting the cot she fell into the doctor's arms. "Whoa, you okay?" he asked, concern filling his voice.

"Uh-huh. . ." mumbled Kai, "I'm just tir. . ." Kai's incoherent mumblings trailed off and she fell silent. The doctor looked at her face and saw that her eyes were closed and she was fast asleep. Without saying another word, the doctor rested the sleeping Kai on cot and pulled the blanket over her.

"Sleep tight, Kai. . . " he said silently as he looked over her.

"Dr. Shin?" called a voice accompanied by a soft knock. The doctor walked over.

"General Iroh, is there something you wan-Prince Zuko?" The doctor had been expecting the kind Iroh to be at the door, but instead the soft voice came from his nephew, "Uh, hello Prince Zuko. . ." said the doctor, "is your Uncle with you?" he asked, looking out into the hallway, searching for any signs of Prince Zuko's Uncle.

"No, it's just me," he sighed, "Uncle sent me down here to check on the girl. How is she doing?" he asked. Prince Zuko peered over Dr. Shin's shoulder only to see Kai sleeping soundly on the cot.

"She's just sleeping now," he said leaning against the door frame, allowing Prince Zuko to look at Kai. "Oh, Prince Zuko can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure. . ." said Prince Zuko a bit uneasily.

"Do you have any clothes that you are not using?"

"What?" Prince Zuko looked at the Doctor with a confused expression on his face.

"I was just wondering if I could borrow some clothes of yours, since everything I have won't fit Kai," he explained.

"Oh, yeah. I think I have something in my room, do you want me to look?" he asked.

"Yeah, you can do that and I'll go get something from the cafeteria. I'm starving. . ." sighed the doctor. Prince Zuko and Dr. Shin left the room and closed the door to the infirmary. The two men walked down the hall in silence until Dr. Shin spoke up. "Uh, Prince Zuko?"

"What?"

"I don't want to seem rude, but why did you come to check on the girl? You didn't seem to care about her earlier."

"Uncle told me to come and check up on her." He said with a sigh. The doctor chuckled softly and he smiled.

"Did he tell you to be a good little boy?" he asked, mocking Zuko in a friendly manner. Prince Zuko glared at him in response.

"Oh shut up!" he barked.

"Sorry," smiled the doctor. The two men continued down the hallway, venturing farther and farther away from the sleeping girl. For the time being Kai rested peacefully. However, that peace of was soon to be interrupted by the chaos and madness that dwelled in the darkest parts of her mind. A madness that had long been repressed behind shut doors was soon about to break free and wreak havoc on Kai's mind.

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**Author's note:**

This was definitely, not the best chapter. Compared to the others, I felt that this was more of a filler chapter, but I can guarantee that the next one will be better.

As always, I'm sorry for any typos.

-BeautifullyAbstract


	7. Chapter 7 Roommates

**Chapter 7**

**Roommates**

Darkness. There was nothing, but that eerie black and silent stillness that surrounded Kai. Her crimson eyes darted frantically around in search of someone or something that would relieve her from the feeling of isolation.

"_Is there anyone here_?!" she called in hopes that someone would respond. But, the only thing that she heard was the echo of her own voice. "_Hello_?!" she called a second time.

"_Kai_. . ." whispered a voice. Upon hearing the whisper, Kai turned her head sharply in hopes of finding someone there. No one. Again a voice whispered her name and she turned around for this time the voice called from behind her. No one again.

"_Who's there_?" she asked, frantically searching for the voice. The voice called her name only this time it seemed to be accompanied by others, each of them calling her name and their voices grew louder with ever passing moment until it sounded like they were screaming at her.

"_Kai_!"

"_Kai_!"

"_KAI_!"

"_WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME DAMN IT_?!" she cried out in desperation, holding her hands to her ears in a feeble attempt to block out the noise.

"_Die. ._ .", whispered one voice. That voice seemed to penetrate her very being and it made her freeze and her eyes widened. Slowly, she brought her hands away from her ears and put them down by her sides.

"_W-what_?" she stammered in shock. Suddenly, a faint and familiar metallic like smell filled her senses and her body began to tremble. She turned around and staggered back at the sight. A small yelp escaped her lips before she covered her mouth. There standing before Kai, was herself, only the duplicate Kai was covered head to toe in blood. Blood was splattered all over her skin like paint and her clothes were dark red and weighed down with the heavy liquid which made the cloth stick to her skin. Even her long raven hair was matted and coated with blood. The smell of blood was becoming so putrid she felt like she would vomit any moment. "What do you want from me?" she demanded as she covered her mouth. The duplicate Kai raised her head and looked at her with dead eyes.

"_I want you dead_. . ." she said in an eerie monotone.

"_W-what did you say_?"

"_I said I WANT YOU DEAD_!!" suddenly she lunged at Kai's throat, but before her duplicate could make contact, Kai's eyes snapped open.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked the doctor as he looked over the panting girl. Kai's crimson eyes looked around and saw that she was back in the infirmary, no longer in that suffocation and haunting darkness. Kai's chest heaved up and down and sweat beaded her forehead.

"Y-yeah, I think so. . ." she panted. Kai put her hand down to stand up only to feel a sharp pain in her side. "AH!" she yelped as she fell backwards onto the cot. Kai clutched her side in pain and bit down on her lip.

"What's wrong?!" asked Dr. Shin, worried as he gently took Kai's hand away from side. Kai looked down and saw that her side was bleeding again.

"Crap. . ." she sighed. Dr. Shin proceeded to re-bandage her side. Trying to ignore the pain in her side, Kai looked around and saw that she was no longer in the infirmary.

"Uh, where am I?" she asked, wincing every once in a while the doctor peeled the bandage from her skin.

"You're-"

"WHY UNCLE?!" shouted a voice outside the room. Kai and the doctor both jumped a bit at the sudden shouting.

"Prince Zuko, you must calm yourself-" came the muffled but calm voice of Iroh.

"NO!" shouted Prince Zuko, "Why does she have to stay in my room?!"

"You must understand my nephew, there-" Iroh didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, suddenly Prince Zuko barged into the room, kicking out the door making it slam against the wall loudly. Kai and the doctor said nothing, they just looked at the fuming Prince. Prince Zuko looked at the doctor for a moment, but suddenly he looked at Kai with piercing golden eyes filled with frustration and anger.

"YOU!" he said pointing at her, "GET OUT **NOW**!"

"WHAT?!" she shouted in disbelief.

"Prince Zuko, calm down. . ." Dr. Shin got up and walked towards Prince Zuko only to have the temperamental young teenager trip him and send him to the ground, "GAH!" screamed the doctor as he landed on the ground with a thud.

"Shut up!" barked the young prince.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" exclaimed Kai as she stood, completely forgetting her pain. She got up and slowly walked up to Prince Zuko.

"Didn't you hear what I said?!" shouted Prince Zuko, "GET OUT!"

"What?!"

"You heard me! Out, now!" he shouted pointing to the door.

"What gives you the right?!" exclaimed Kai, her fist beginning to clench tighter and tighter.

"It's my room!" he shouted

"You know you could have just asked nicely instead of being such an ass about it!" she fired back

"Hey! You want a face full of fist?!"

"You want a butt full of foot?!"

"ENOUGH!!!!" The two teenagers stopped arguing instantly and slowly turned their heads to face Uncle Iroh upon hearing his sudden outburst, "Prince Zuko, you're behavior is unacceptable! You know better than that to treat this young lady like and Dr. Shin!" he exclaimed as he helped the doctor from the ground, "Are you alright doctor?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thank you General Iroh," said Dr. Shin as he got up from the ground, holding his head.

"Now Prince Zuko, whether you like it or not, this young lady will be staying here in your room."

"But why **my** room?! We have plenty of rooms on the ship don't we?!"

"No, unfortunately we do not," explained Iroh, "Now I want you two to behave, alright?"

"Yes Uncle," sighed Zuko in defeat. All eyes were then on Kai, expecting her to comply with Iroh's wishes. Kai raised an eyebrow, unaware of what they were expecting.

"What?"

"Kai," said Dr. Shin, "Will you behave as well?"

"Uh, sure thing?" said Kai, unsure of what she was agreeing to.

"Wonderful!" said Iroh happily, clapping is hands together, "we'll leave you two to get acquainted. Come along Dr. Shin."

"Yes General Iroh," nodded Dr. Shin as he and Uncle Iroh walked towards.

"Oh, Kai," said Iroh, turning around before he reached the door, "feel free to use the shower when ever you want." and with that, Iroh and Dr. Shin were gone. A silence fell over the room and Kai and Zuko merely stood there glaring each other with piercing eyes.

"Assface. . ." mutter Kai.

"Bottom feeder. . ." grumbled Zuko.

"Ignoramus. . ."

"Freak. . ." The exchange of insults continued for several minutes before Kai sighed and walked towards the door.

"Hey!" shouted Prince Zuko, "Where are you going?!"

"Hey, just because we're supposed to stay share a room, doesn't mean I have to stay here all the time. . ." she glared at him one last time before exiting the room, slamming the door behind her. Kai, walked down the hall and she stopped when she suddenly remembered the pain she was in. Her knees buckled and she nearly fell to the ground, but she put her hands against the metal walls and supported herself. She stayed there momentarily and suddenly the stench of blood filled her senses.

"_Ugh_, _I need a shower. . ._" she thought to herself. Slowly, she stood up straight and staggered down the hallway until she came to a door that was labeled "Washroom". She pushed the door open and peered inside. It was a large bathroom, nothing fancy. It two sinks in a counter in front of a large mirror and on the other side of the room was a fairly large tub and right beside was a separate shower. Kai ventured further and looked at a small basket on the counter. She walked inside the bathroom and carefully took the basket in her hands. On the side of the basket there was a small piece of paper that had "For Kai" written on it. She shrugged and inspected the basket and found some soap, shampoo, scented oils, lotion, and a small comb.

She placed the basket back on the counter and took out the soap and shampoo and turned around and headed towards the shower. Hanging on the rack beside the shower was a towel with another note telling Kai that she was allowed to use it. Quickly and carefully, Kai took off her clothes and unraveled her bandages. She turned and looked at her body in the mirror.

"_My god I'm a mess_. . ." she thought to herself, sighing upon seeing her mangled body. Kai turned around and further inspected her wounds in the mirror and assumed that if she was careful, her wounds wouldn't reopen.

Kai slowly stepped into the shower, closed the door behind her and turned on the water. She stood in the corner of the shower, so she wouldn't get wet. For several moments she couldn't tell if the shower was even on, until she stuck her hand out and felt the water on her hand. After adjusting the water temperature she began to wash herself. The warm water was soothing against her sore body and the shampoo that she lathered her hair with smelled heavenly. After several minutes, Kai turned the shower off and grabbed the towel on the rack just outside the shower. She dried her body, being careful not to agitate her wounds and then stepped out of the shower. Suddenly, she heard a splashing noise beside her

Kai suddenly froze and her eyes widened. A sickening silence fell over the room and the only sound that was made was the sound of dripping water from the shower. There, before Kai's eyes was Prince Zuko, naked, in the tub and staring at Kai and she was staring at him.

"AAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!" screamed both the teenagers, interrupting the silence of the bathroom. Prince Zuko got up from the tub in a panic, making Kai scream even more.

"GET OUT!!" she screamed, holding the towel close to her body and wrapping it around her body.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?!" shouted Zuko as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

"TAKING A SHOWER!!!" she exclaimed.

"WHAT?!" he shouted in disbelief.

"HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW I WAS IN HERE?!"

"I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING!" bellowed Prince Zuko, "BESIDES THE DOOR WASN'T LOCKED!! NOW GET OUT!" Prince Zuko's cheeks were starting to get red.

"YOU GET OUT!!" Kai shouted back, her cheeks red with embarrassment. Much to Prince Zuko's surprise, Kai's hands began to glow red and before Prince Zuko could shout anything else, two streams of fire were coming straight for him. Prince Zuko's eyes widened and he ducked quickly, holding onto his towel for dear like. "GET OUT NOW!!" shouted Kai as she attacked him again.

"You're a firebender?!" he asked as she ran for the door.

"OUT!!!" she shouted again. This time, not only did she attack him, she ran after him out the door and chased him down the hallway.

"So, how long will you let the girl stay with us?" asked Dr. Shin.

"She can stay as long as she wants. I just hope that she will recover soon and that she and Prince Zuko will get along." Sighed Iroh

"I'LL KILL YOU!!" exclaimed Kai as she ran after him. Without knowing, the two half naked teenagers ran past General Iroh and Dr. Shin. Iroh and Shin stopped there conversation and looked down the hallways, where Kai and Prince Zuko took off screaming.

"I think she'll be fine. . ." said Dr. Shin, "they're getting awfully friendly aren't they?"

* * *

**Author's Note**: 

YAY another chapter that's not a filler chapter. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always sorry for any typos

For those of you who read my story as you can see, I changed the title thanks to my friend Ming THANK YOU!!

Stay tuned for the next addition of my story.

-BeautifullyAbstract


	8. Chapter 8 A Misunderstanding

**Chapter 8**

**Misunderstood**

"Open this door!" bellowed Prince Zuko as he pounded on the door to his room.

"Why should I?!" shouted Kai from inside Prince Zuko's room.

"It's my room!" he shouted as he tugged on the door fiercely in an attempt to open it.

"Forget it! I don't care if this was the Fire Lord's room! You're not getting back in here!!"

"_Not like I'd do anything for the Fire Lord anyway_. . ." thought Kai as she walked away from the door knowing that there was no way Prince Zuko would be able to get since she locked and picked up a pair of extra clothes that the doctor left for you on the futon. The futon was on the other side of the room across from a bed that belonged to Prince Zuko.

"Well, can't you give me some clothes?!" he shouted, his voice almost sounded like he was pleading.

"NO!"

"If you're not going to let me in, then where am I supposed to sleep tonight?!" Kai sighed as she pulled the pants up and tightened the draw string around her waist.

"GO FREEZE OUT ON THE DECK FOR ALL I CARE!!" It suddenly became quiet and all the Kai could here was the faint sounds of footsteps which soon faded away. She let out a soft sigh and pulled the shirt over her head and then tugged at the ends to straighten out and get rid of any creases or wrinkles. Kai's mouth opened and she let out a loud yawn and she plopped down lazily on the futon. Her half lidded crimson eyes looked up at the ceiling and she began to count the number of bolts in the ceiling until she fell asleep.

Kai slept soundlessly and peacefully and she dreamed of nothing for a while until the dream from before interrupted the sanctity of her mind. But before anything bad could happen Kai woke up.

"Nngghh. . ." she grumbled sleepily as she rolled over onto her side. Her long black hair fell over her face creating something like a curtain. Kai rolled lazily onto her back and she raised her hand to move her hair from her face. As she rested her hand languidly on her forehead she let out soft yawn and looked about the room. Growing bored with her surroundings she lazily got up from the futon on the floor and walked out of the room. Her hand ran through her messy black hair as she stepped out into the hallway, but something suddenly caught her attention. Kai looked down on the ground only to find Prince Zuko lying on the ground fast asleep with his head resting on a pillow. Thankfully, Prince Zuko was no longer half naked with only a towel to cover him like the night before. Instead he was wearing a robe that was clearly two sizes too big for him, but Kai didn't care either way. As long as he had something, other than a towel, to wear she was fine with it. After making a trip to the bathroom and brushing her hair and taking care of all of her personal needs, she wandered the hallways of the large ship until she finally managed to make it outside.

When she opened the large metal door, she was greeted with the bright light of the sun. Immediately, Kai's eyes squinted and she brought her scarred arm to her face to block out the brilliant light. Even though it was still very early in the morning, the light was a drastic change for her eyes, which had grown accustomed to darkness during her month long imprisonment. Kai groaned quietly to herself and staggered off to the side of the ship. There, she let her eyes adjust and sighed at the comforting cool sensation the shadows brought. Kai leaned against the wall and her body slumped down to the ground. A sigh escaped her dry lips as she turned her head up to peer at the blue sky. One leg was in a crisscross position while the other was propped up, her foot flat on the ground, and her arm rested lazily on her knee. She sat there in that position for several minutes; the only things that moved were her fingers, which she was stretching out, and her hair, which flowed slightly in the breeze.

Slowly, Kai lifted her arm and rotated her shoulder a bit and did the same with her other arm. Afterwards she shifted her position so she was sitting, facing the wall and she slowly bent over in her sitting position until her forehead touched the ship's metal deck. She slowly stuck her arms up in front her and rested them on the ground. Making sure that her arms were stable, she tensed her muscles and flipped her body over into what was, to some extent, was a hand or head stand. She rested her legs slightly on the wall behind while her arms shook slightly, trying to adjust to the sudden strain. Upside down, Kai's eyes narrowed and she slowed her breathing and relaxed herself a bit until staying upside down became incredibly simple. Kai slowly lowered her left leg until it became parallel with the ground as a way to improve her strength and stretch her muscles. After several minutes she did the same to her right leg and over the course of fifteen minutes she repeated the exercise until a new shadow cast over her. Kai open her eyes and found Prince Zuko standing above her, an expression of silent fury on his face.

"What do you want?" asked Kai as her piercing crimson eyes narrowed.

"What on earth are you doing?" he asked in a slightly demanding tone.

"I'm doing a hand stand and stretching," Kai lifted up her leg so her body was completely straight, "got a problem with it?"

"Yes! As a matter of fact I do!" he exploded, "I want you off my ship!" Kai raised an eyebrow and brought her legs down and stood up straight on her feet to face Prince Zuko. She placed a hand on her hip.

"Well, aren't you straight forward," she said sarcastically. Kai paused for brief moment for she got a sudden head, but then spoke. "Look, as much as I'd like to get off this floating piece of metal, I can't at the moment."

"And why is that?" he pressed. Kai's eye twitched in frustration. The reason was so obvious and yet he couldn't figure it out.

"WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE **OCEAN **!!!" she shouted in his face, making him stagger back in surprise, "And from the looks of it I don't think we'll be near land anytime soon," she said in frustrated and exasperated tone, "So it looks like we are going to stuck together whether we want to be or not," Kai groaned slightly after she spoke, for the idea of being on a Fire Nation ship that belonged to the retired Dragon of the Sea and the Fire Lord's banished son was unnerving and made her stomach churn. For that ship, THAT ship was the last ship that any sensible Fire Nation rebel would fear to be on. Kai heard footsteps behind her and she automatically knew that Prince Zuko was following her.

"Well, if you are going to be staying on **my **ship," Kai's eyes narrowed in anger for she knew what it was Prince Zuko was about to say, "then you have to do what I sa-"

"**Listen**. . .**to**. . .**me**. . ." she said slowly and menacingly. Prince Zuko's eyes widened slightly and he raised an eyebrow, "I take orders from no one. And if you even try to command me to do anything I will grind your head into the deck of this ship. . ." she growled. Kai turned around and walked towards the front part of the deck. Behind her Prince Zuko's eyes narrowed at her defiance. He was a PRINCE. Banished or not, people had to treat him respect.

"Hey wench!" he called out to Kai. The young girl stopped immediately and the fury inside of her grew drastically upon being called a "wench". "Why don't you be obedient and go make some breakfast like a woman should. . ." said Prince Zuko in a sarcastic tone, Kai could almost hear the smirk in his voice.

Pain suddenly racked Prince Zuko's body. His chest and his head ached horribly and the ache in his head seemed to grow by the second. He opened his closed eyes and saw that he was on the ground and he could feel a hand on his head which was pressing his face so roughly to the ground he thought that his head would explode. For a brief moment, his senses registered that something was pressing against his back, keeping him pinned to the ground, but the increasing pain in his head was the only thing he focused on.

"I warned you. . ." he heard Kai's voice say darkly. He finally came to the realization that Kai had thrown him and pinned him to the ground and true to what she said before, Kai was nearly grinding his head into the deck of the ship. Kai's hair fell over her shoulders as she loomed above the prince.

"W-when did you-?!" groaned Prince Zuko. Kai pressed harder on Prince Zuko's head when suddenly she felt his body grow incredibly warm. Kai quickly jumped away in time to avoid a small whirlwind of fire that formed around Prince Zuko's body. Slowly, he emerged from the flames, his eyes filled with rage and fury. "How dare you!!" he roared angrily. Kai's eyes immediately fell on the large imprint left by the metal floor on Prince Zuko's face and she snickered in a somewhat a cruel manner.

"Uh, hey," she jeered, "you got a little something there on your face." Kai jokingly pointed at her own face. Suddenly, a huge stream of fire flew towards Kai and knocked her back several feet and onto the ground.

She groaned a bit in pain as she quickly got up and faced Prince Zuko in fighting stance. He was serious about fighting and now so was she. Prince Zuko let out a loud, angry cry and charged right at her. When he got close enough he took his right hand and made and upward, slicing movement at her chin. Kai quickly leaned her body backwards avoiding his hand and the fire which trailed behind it. Using her momentum, she leaned back further, but before she could hit the ground her hands shot out and her legs swung upwards in a flip, hitting Prince Zuko in the chin. She landed on the ground in a crouched position, her weight on her hands and the balls of her feet, but she didn't linger for long. She sprang forward and into the air and quickly kicked Prince Zuko across his face. He staggered backwards as she landed on the ground. Prince Zuko clutched his face in pain for a moment. Kai observed him and noticed that he was holding and clutching his face for far too long, she didn't kick him that hard.

"YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT!" he shouted, clutching his face with one hand. But, he was clutching the wrong side of his face. Instead of clutching the area where Kai and kicked him he clutched his scar. "YOU DARE THINK THAT YOU HAVE ANY RIGHT TO INSULT ME LIKE THAT?!"

"You were the one who insulted me first!" Suddenly Prince Zuko lunged and Kai when she was not focusing on the fight, but he didn't bring her down. Prince Zuko was locked in his Uncle's grip.

"UNCLE, LET GO OF ME!" shouted Prince Zuko as he struggled in his Uncle's grip. Seizing the opportunity, Kai lunged at the incapacitated prince only to have a set of arms wrap around her and hold her back. She turned around and saw it was the doctor.

"STOP IT THE BOTH OF YOU!" shouted the doctor.

"What is going on here?!" asked Iroh, his voice revealing his astonishment.

"He insulted me and tried to order me around!" shouted Kai as she tried to free herself from doctor's grip.

"**I** insulted** you**?!" exclaimed Prince Zuko in disbelief, "You mocked me and the fact that I have this scar!" he shouted, his voice was a mixture of anger and hurt. Kai stopped struggling and stood still. She suddenly understood why he looked so frustrated during the fight and why he clutched his scar just moments before.

"Wait, I never did that. . ." said Kai slowly.

"YES YOU DID!" he shouted, " 'You got a little something on your face' " he said, mocking Kai's voice in a pathetic attempt to talk like girl, "WH-"

"Prince Zuko," came Iroh's calm voice, "I'm sure it was a misunderstanding. . ."

"Uncle! How can you defend her?!" he shouted.

"I'm serious, I wasn't making fu-"

"Kai. . ."said the doctor, "I think it'd be best if you two separated for the time being. Beside, you've reopened your injuries."

"What?" Kai looked down at her torso and lifted her shirt slightly and saw that her bandages she soaked with blood. However, she felt no pain and she didn't even realize that her wounds reopened. Kai sighed and looked away from Prince Zuko, who was glaring at her viciously. "Okay, fine. . ." the doctor nodded and gently ushered her to the door, which led to the inside of the ship. Before Dr. Shin closed the door once they were inside, Kai glanced back out at the deck only to see Iroh consoling and calming Prince Zuko. The door closed and Kai somberly followed the doctor to the infirmary.

"_I didn't mean to hurt him like that. . ."_

_-----------------------------------------------------_

**Author's Note:**

I hope you enjoyed this last chapter as always I apologize for any typos and stay tuned for the next chapter

Comments/review are welcome

-BeautifullyAbstract


	9. Chapter 9 I'm Fine

**Chapter 9**

"**I'm Fine. . .**"

Kai sat silently on the cot as the doctor bandaged the reopened wound on her side. Occasionally, she flinched in discomfort, but she did not complain.

"Okay," sighed Dr. Shin as he completed bandaging Kai, "I managed to do what I could, but you're going to have to avoid any sort of strenuous activity if you want to recover quickly."

"Alright. . ." she said bluntly

"Speaking of strenuous activity, why were you and Prince Zuko fighting?" asked the doctor. Kai said nothing. She just looked at the doctor for a brief moment, a blank expression on her face, and then got up slowly from the cot. The doctor offered his arm for support to the weakened girl, but she silently declined his offer by pushing his arm aside. The doctor sighed, knowing that he wouldn't get the answer he desired, so he languidly eased back into his chair and returned to his desk. "Okay, well, I want you to take it easy for now. The more rest you get, the sooner you'll recover got it?"

"Yeah, I get it. . ." sighed Kai as she staggered towards the door. Her body was halfway out the door when she slowly came to a halt, her hand on the door frame. Where was she going to go? She couldn't go out on the deck or back to the room that she and Prince Zuko were sharing, since he'd probably be at either of those locations and the last thing she wanted to do was run into him after what had happened earlier. Even though it was Kai's intention to tease and poke fun at him, she didn't want him to think that she was making fun of something as serious looking as his scar. Kai groaned a bit and turned around to face the doctor, who was at the moment, absorbed in his paper work.

"Uh. . ." she uttered, not wanting to disturb Dr. Shin. Hearing Kai's faint voice, the doctor lifted his eyes from paperwork and looked at Kai from behind his glasses.

"What is it?" he asked kindly, with a bit of a smile.

"Um, I was wondering. . . is it okay with you if I stay here for a while and, I dunno, sleep?"

"Sure thing," smiled Dr. Shin. Kai nodded at him before she walked back over to the cot and plopped down on it. Seeing her semi-reckless behavior, the doctor jumped a bit in alarm. "Hey! What'd I say about straining yourself?!" Kai, who had her arms behind her head, turned her head a bit to look at the doctor. She raised and eyebrow and shook her head.

"Relax, I'm fine. . ." she sighed as she further situated herself in a more comfortable position. She finally found a comfortable position resting on her side.

"Do you need a blanket?" asked the doctor.

"No," answered Kai bluntly. Slowly, Kai closed her eyes and drowsiness started to overcome her.

"Are you comfy?" asked the doctor, Kai's brow furrowed in annoyance at the interruption.

"Yes. . ." Silence fell over the two of them again, which allowed Kai to surrender herself to the peace that was slumber.

"If you need anything you can jus-"

"I'm **FINE**!!" barked Kai as she pressed her face further into the pillow her head was resting on in a feeble attempt to block out the doctor's voice. Kai could hear the doctor chuckle softly for several moments and she could have sworn that he said something else, but it was too late. Kai was out cold.

Once again Kai dreamt that same eerie dream from before. Where a duplicate of herself covered head to toe in blood whispered in an lifeless monotone voice "Die" over and over again. Only this time, when her "twin" opened her mouth to speak, it was not only just her voice that was heard, but there were other voices that accompanied it. With every passing second they grew louder and louder until they grew so loud that it seemed that the voices melded into one, creating a terrifyingly deafening roar. And just like before, Kai woke up just before her "twin's" extended bloody arms could wrap around her neck.

Kai's body bolted upwards as she woke from her nightmare, but the sudden and sharp movement made the muscles in her side spasm painfully. Kai cringed and held her hand against her side trying to suppress her pain. Her chest rose and fell rapidly underneath the loose fitting shirt as she panted trying to regain her breath. Her heart pounded so loudly that she couldn't hear anything else and it also felt like her heart was threatening to burst through her own rib cage. Kai fell backwards onto the cot in an exhausted manner and calmed her breathing and heartbeat. Once she had regained her composure she looked around and suddenly noticed that doctor was no longer in the small infirmary and she could faintly hear voices coming from the other side of the door. Slowly, Kai got up from the cot and crept over to the door, stood there completely still and listened.

"So she's in there?" murmured a voice

"Yeah, apparently she got into a brawl with Prince Zuko,"

"Oh? who won?"

"I heard Prince Zuko did," Kai's eye twitched in annoyance at the comment.

"No, apparently Shin and General Iroh came in and stopped it before anything serious could happen,"

"I saw the fight from the control room. That girl is seriously dangerous, she moves so fast that I almost can't see her and she looks like some sort of animal too. Do you think it's a good idea for her to stay here with all of us? Who knows what kind of trouble she might bring-"

"An animal? I don't get how you see that, if you ask me she's pretty cute,"

"Cute? Hey, all she has to do is move some hair from that face of hers and I'll bet she'll be pretty damn hot,"

"Mizuki, if that was pun, that was horrible,"

"HEY!" Kai recognized this voice, "What are you men doing?! Quit standing in front of my infirmary gossiping like a bunch of old women and get back to your stations!" She could hear the men who were standing just outside the infirmary door now leaving. Kai reached for the door and before even one finger touched the cold metal, the door slid open revealing the doctor. His brow was furrowed and he had a look of frustration about his face. His eyes widened in surprise, he clearly wasn't expecting Kai to be up, let alone be standing in front of the door. "Oh, hey kid. . ." he said as he rubbed his temples a bit before walking into the office, "how long have you been up?"

"A couple of minutes. . ." said Kai, her voice trailing off at the end of her sentence. Kai looked at the doctor who plopped down into his usual chair. His face depicted a mixture of frustration, anger, worry and other emotions that she could describe. The room became silent with the exception of the doctor's incoherent mutterings and sighs of frustration and seeing that there was nothing to be said, Kai shrugged and walked towards the door. Suddenly, Dr. Shin bolted out of his seat and grabbed Kai's bandaged wrist and jerked her back into the infirmary.

"Where are you going?!" exclaimed the doctor, he almost seemed appalled by the simple action of Kai walking out the door.

"Uh, outside. . ." she said slowly. Gently she tugged her hand trying to free herself from the doctor's grip. But, instead of releasing her, his grip only tightened. It was almost like Dr. Shin was trying to protect her from something that lay waiting to attack Kai once she left the safety of the infirmary.

"No, you're not!"

"What? Why?" Kai demanded in a harsh tone that startled the doctor.

"Look," he said sternly, "you are not leaving this room!"

"So, what are you going to lock me up here?!"

"I don't mean it like that," sighed the frustrated doctor.

"Then how do you mean it?!" demanded Kai angrily.

"I mean, you're not leaving this room without someone accompanying you. . ." slowly explained the doctor in an attempt to calm the two of them.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" exploded Kai, "WHAT AM I?! FIVE?!!" Kai violently jerked her arm away from the doctor and stormed out of the infirmary.

"WAIT HOLD ON!!" called the doctor as he scrambled after her, but when he looked down the hallway Kai was no where to be found. Kai ran down the dimly lit hallway, her muscles aching with every stride and crying out for her to "stop". But, she ignored her own pain and fatigue and kept running.

"_Where does he get the idea to tell me what to do_!" she thought to herself as she turned made a sharp turn around a corner. Suddenly, Kai found herself on the ground her butt and legs throbbing achingly against the cold metal. She looked up, stunned and confused as to how she had fallen.

"Oh! My apologies!" said General Iroh as he bent down and offered a hand to help the fallen girl up, "Forgive me, I didn't see you there. I suppose my cushion of belly knocked you down," he said with a hearty laugh, patting his large stomach, "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. . ." grumbled Kai as she got up, ignoring Iroh's offer to help.

"Are you sure?" he pressed, "You appear to me in pain. . ." Kai looked at him with a slight glare.

"I'm **fine**. . ." she said between her clenched teeth. Kai sighed and started to walk away, only to have Iroh pull her back and drag her in the other direction, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she barked.

"You look like you need some tea. I have recently acquired a new set of tea cups that I'm sure you would just love!" laughed Iroh as he dragged Kai down the hall.

"I'm not interested in a damn tea set!" she shouted, struggling against the old man's grip.

"Well, that does make sense. After all, it is not the tea set that makes the drink so warm and fulfilling, it is the love that goes into making it," explained Iroh in a mocking, yet philosophical manner.

"I DON'T WANT ANY OF YOUR DAMN LOVE POTION TEA!!" she shouted

"You'll have some? Splendid!" he said with a hearty laugh.

"WHAT?!! I DIDN'T SAY THAT!! LET ME GO!!" bellowed Kai. She continued to struggle and pull herself away from the old man, but he continued to drag her down the hallway. In the midst of the struggle, Kai noticed a man emerge from down the hall, where she had originally planned on going, behind a small pillar that jutted out from the wall, like he had been waiting for something. He looked at her with for moment then at Iroh. His eyes narrowed and filled with anger when they fell upon the laughing old man. Kai ignored him and focused her attention on her "kidnapper" only this time, she struggled less and eventually followed him without question.

---------------------------

Author's Note:

GAH!! Another filler chapter…. –does the bow of shame- sorry, sorry, sorry, SORRY!!!

Anyways as always, sorry for any typos (I proof read my work, but some typos may still be there) and comments/review are welcome.

Till next time,

**BeautifullyAbstract**


	10. Chapter 10 Tea Time With Uncle Iroh

**Chapter 10**

**Tea Time With Iroh**

Kai let a soft sigh escape her lips as she gazed listlessly at the wooden table she sat at. She rested her head in one hand while her other hand lay on the table. Her palms arched a bit allowing only her fingertips and the bottom of her hand to touch the cold wood. She absentmindedly allowed her fingers to trace the natural circular patterns the wood created. At first her fingertips followed one another until slowly one by one they abandoned their path leaving only her index finger to wander aimlessly through the never ending maze, until it slowly drew to a stop. She didn't move her finger any further; she just let it rest there. She looked down at her one finger through half-lidded eyes until her vision became blurred. Like what happens when a person finds themselves staring so intensely at one pebble in the sand that it becomes blurred, and even though that person can no longer see the pebble, their eyes remained locked in the same exact place. The sharp sound of a tea cup hitting the table brought Kai back to reality. Her head lifted itself slightly from her hand and she blinked furiously in order to bring her sight back to it's original state. Suddenly, she felt a slight discomfort in her legs and remember how she was sitting on them. She shifted slowly out of that position and sat cross legged on the cushion underneath her. A cup of tea was pushed towards her and she looked at the green, steamy liquid with suspicion.

"Go on, drink some, "said Iroh, who sat across from her, "it's quite refreshing and may help you calm down a bit."

"Who said I needed to calm down?" said Kai, glaring a bit through the steam that emanated from the tea.

"My apologies," laughed Iroh, "I suppose it's just natural for me to worry about someone who looks as if something's troubling them." Kai continued to stare and Iroh with that same heated look in her eyes silently saying _There's nothing troubling me_. "Oh!" exclaimed Iroh, "I'm assuming again aren't? Forgive me," he apologized.

"So, what do you want from me?" she inquired bluntly as she stared at Iroh through the steam that rose from the cup. Iroh's eyebrow's widened in surprise at the question. "It's not exactly part of my morning routine to be dragged off by some old man, sat down, and forced to drink tea. And since you seemed so surprised and confused, not that I'm blaming you. . . old age can certainly take a toll on a person's mind, I'm gonna ask you again. What do you want from me?"

"My aren't you forward," laughed Iroh once he recovered from brief moment of shock, "And to answer your question. . .well. . . I don't want anything from you. I just thought it would be nice to share one another's company and enjoy a nice cup of tea," smiled Iroh.

"I'm not interested in tea. . ." grumble Kai, her eyes started to narrow again. She quickly put her hand on the wooden table and stood up. But just before she could put her hand on the metallic door handle, Iroh spoke up.

"It's green tea," she could hear the smile in his voice. Kai immediately turned around and planted herself back on the cushion.

"Okay, maybe I'll have a little," Kai's hands reached out for the delicate looking cup and she slowly wrapped her fingers around it and pulled it closer to her. She stared at the warm liquid for a moment; the steam obscuring her vision, then brought the cup to her lips. The sensation of the warm of the cup pressing against her cold lips, made her shiver a bit and made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She pulled her lips away from the cup for a moment before she drank the soothing tea.

"How is the tea?" asked Iroh "Is it to your liking?" Kai put the cup down and looked at Iroh.

"Yeah," she nodded, "it tastes good. . ." Silence fell over the two of them and Kai looked down, avoiding Iroh's all-knowing smile, and swirled the tea in the cup by tilting it in a circular motion.

"So, Kai is quite an interesting name. . ." spoke up Uncle Iroh.

"I guess so," shrugged Kai, not really listening, "It's pretty simple. . ."

"Well, as it turns out, I happen to know the meaning behind your name," Kai looked up from her tea and looked at Iroh, interest tinting her eyes. Iroh smiled, upon seeing Kai's reaction.

"What is it?" she asked in a monotone as a way to mask her peaked interest.

"From what I've heard, Kai actually means water," Kai's lips quivered and her quickly covered her mouth to restrain her laughter.

"Really?" she asked. Even though her voice was muffled, Iroh could tell she was holding back her laughter.

"Yes. It's quite an unusual name for a firebender such as yourself," smiled Iroh kindly. Kai's face returned to its normal serious look and she looked down at her tea. Only there was something different, there was a soft, yet sad smile on her lips.

"Yeah," she said quietly, cupping the tea cup and pressing her cold palms gently against her the warm ceramic, "a strange name for a strange girl. . ." she said in almost a whisper. Even though Kai wasn't looking she could feel Iroh looking straight at her. To satisfy her curiosity Kai's crimson eyes stopped gazing at the cup and darted upward for a brief moment to look at Iroh. Her eyes darted back down, her curiosity satisfied. Iroh was in fact looking at her. But, it wasn't the fact that he was looking at her that bothered her. It was the look he had in his eyes that bothered her. His eyes were a mixture of empathy, kindness, and sympathy. She hated it when people felt sorry for her. She didn't need their sympathy and she didn't want it. Silence fell over them again, which was fine with her, she didn't feel like talking.

"May I ask you a question?" asked Iroh, breaking the silence.

"You just did. . ." Kai said bluntly as she raised an eyebrow at the old man. Iroh merely laughed at the response and Kai sighed, "Sure go ahead. . ."

"What were you running from?" Kai eyes widened slightly at the question.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when we ran into each other in the hall. . .Well, **you** were the one running, and I was just curious as to what you were running from and why. . ." Kai paused and took another sip of the tea before answer the question

"I just. . . wanted to get out that's all. . ." she mumbled.

"I can understand that, after all one may go mad if they stay in one spot for an entire day. But. . ." Iroh's voice trailed off, "in your current condition, it would be wise for you to stay in the infirmary so Dr. Shin can watch over you." Kai's eyes narrowed a bit, making her already piercing crimson eyes all the more menacing.

"Look," said Kai, sternly, "I think I know my own strengths and weaknesses and I **know** that I'm strong enough to get around on my own. And if anyone tries locking me up in that infirmary you sure as hell better be ready to bolt down the doors and hide, because I will knock down that door and destroy anyone who tries to put me back. And let me say one more thing, if you guys are going to let me wander freely. . . I will wander **without** a goddamn babysitter. The last thing I want is for someone to be following me around everywhere and, gods forbid, have them wait for me outside the bathroom!"

"Actually, I've been meaning to speak to you about that. Dr. Shin approached me with some concern about your current condition and he can already see that you like to wander . . . and **both** of us think it would be wise if you were to have a companion-"

"No," grumble Kai through clenched teeth as she drummed her fingers on the table

"We just think that in your current condition that it would be best if you had someone to watch over you; just make sure that you are okay. . ." Suddenly Iroh reached across the table and took Kai's hand gently in his wrinkled, aged hands.

"Please understand, that Shin and I are only thinking about your well, being and safety," Iroh said, his voice full of sincerity and concern. Kai, almost instantly softened and she couldn't help, but believe him. The way he looked, the way he patted her hand and the sound of his voice reminded her of the way some parents acted towards their beloved children. But, she rarely experienced that kind of parental love and affection, so actually experiencing it for herself made her feel awkward and she was compelled to pull her hand away. However, there was a certain warmth about this strange feeling that seemed to fill in imaginary gaps and holes inside of her.

"Okay, fine. . ." she agreed reluctantly. Iroh instantly let go of her hand and clapped his hands together, with a big grin on his face.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed happily.

"So who's the sucker that's gonna be stuck with me?" said Kai, in a bored tone.

"Actually I was thinking that-" Suddenly the door opened behind her and Kai's head turned sharply to see who it was. "Perfect timing," Kai's eyes widened and filled with dismay. Her piercing crimson eyes met with a pair of equally piercing and familiar gold eyes.

"Oh good gods **no**. . ."

**Author's Note:**

OMG!!! I wonder who's at the door?! -fake suprise-

Anyways, uh as always... thanks for reading and I apologize for any mistakes and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year Everyone

Oh! And for those who are curious... The name "Kai" **does** mean water in Hawaiian

-BeautifullyAbstract


	11. Chapter 11 Rocky Start

**Chapter 11  
Rocky Start**

"Actually I was thinking that-" Suddenly the door opened behind her and Kai's head turned sharply to see who it was. "Perfect timing," Kai's eyes widened and filled with dismay. Her piercing crimson eyes met with a pair of equally piercing and familiar gold eyes.

"Oh good gods **no**. . ." said Kai slowly.

"What are you looking at?" demanded Prince Zuko as he stood in the doorway of his Uncle's quarters. Kai didn't answer his question; she merely glared at him, a habit that she seemed to pick up whenever Zuko was around her.

"You can't be serious?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well, I think it would be a great way for the two of you to spend some time together. Maybe you could even become friends?" smiled Iroh, hopefully.

"NO WAY!" exclaimed Kai, banging her fist once on the table.

"Uncle, what are you talking about?" asked Prince Zuko, confused.

"Well, Prince Zuko, Dr. Shin and I were discussing something earlier, " Prince Zuko raised an eyebrow at this and Kai banged her head against the table once and let her forehead rest against the cold wood, "In Miss Kai's current condition, it's not suitable for her to wander around alone. . .so I was hoping that you could escort Miss Kai around the ship."

"Are you insane?!" exclaimed Prince Zuko in shock, "I'm a Prince, not some babysitter!" The tempered Prince glared at Kai before turning to his Uncle. "Besides Uncle, I need to train! I have no time for watching anyone, especially her!" he shouted, pointing a finger at Kai.

"Well, how about you come in, my nephew," smiled Iroh as he gestured for Prince Zuko to sit beside him at the table, "and have some Green Tea. It's quite delicious."

"Uncle!" exclaimed Prince Zuko as hit is forehead lightly with his hand, "I don't have time for tea! I need to train!"

"If you don't have time for tea, then hopefully you won't have time to watch me. . ." grumbled Kai as she turned away and buried her mouth in her hand, her elbow leaning on the table. She looked briefly at Uncle Iroh, silently hoping that he would submit to his stubborn nephew's will and that the old man would forget about her, leaving her to wander wherever and whenever she wished.

"Uncle!" barked Zuko at his Uncle, "If I don't train and increase my skills, I'll never be able to capture the Avatar!" Kai's eyes narrowed at Zuko's last bit about capturing the Avatar. She became so bothered by it that the hand rested on the table balled up into a tight fist. Iroh sighed and he drank the last bit of cooled tea that was left in the cup and placing his hands on the table, he pushed himself off the floor into a standing position. He placed his hands on his back and stretched himself out a bit; Kai even swore that she heard a couple of his bones crack.

"Very, well Prince Zuko," said his Uncle, letting out a breathy sigh. Iroh walked towards his nephew and immediately, Zuko almost ran out of the room, eager to start his training. "Come along Kai," Kai cringed at the sound of her name.

"Uh, no thanks. . ." she grumbled.

"Well. . . would you rather have me lock you up here instead?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kai warily as she turned around.

"Well, seeing as how you refuse to accompany Prince Zuko and I. . . well, the only way I see to keep you out of any trouble is to lock you up in here," Iroh began to pull a key out of his sleeve and he grasped the door handle and began to shut the door, "So, my nephew and I will be back in a few hours to let you o-" Kai's hand shot out and stopped the slowly closing door.

"On second thought I think I'll come. . ." Iroh smiled at her sudden reaction and opened the door for her.

"After you," smiled Iroh amiably.

"UNCLE!! HURRY UP!!" roared Zuko, his voice echoing all the way down the hall. Kai cringed at the volume while Iroh laughed. Kai shook her head and walked down the hall slowly, allowing Iroh to walk ahead of her. She followed Iroh from a distance and from time to time her eyes darted back and forth and side to side, looking for a way to escape. But after some thinking Kai realized that the freedom she had at the moment was a blessing and if she were to run away now, she'd probably be locked away in a closet. Kai could see Prince Zuko walking down the hall several feet in front of her and Iroh and all she could do was glare whenever she laid her eyes on him. It sickened her to the core to know that he wanted to capture the Avatar. At that moment she felt no sympathy towards him, since she always felt a bit sorry that he was banished after the Agni Kai with his father (even though she didn't experience the Agni Kai first hand, almost everyone in the Fire Nation knew what happened). Kai was disgusted with the fact that some one wanted to capture the world's one hope to end the war, her temper began to rise and threatened to make her snap. Her fist tightened immediately, but she calmed herself and relaxed. As she and Iroh continue to walk down the hall, a man walked towards them in the opposite direction. Kai could see Iroh nod and acknowledge the crew man walking towards them.

"Good afternoon, Mizuki," said Iroh, smiling.

"Good afternoon General Iroh," he nodded at Iroh, "Miss," he nodded at Kai. As he walked past her she recognized him as the man from before who stepped out from behind the pillar as Iroh dragged her away to drink tea. Kai eyed and glared at him suspiciously as he walked by. The most unsettling thing was the smirk on his face and the way he looked at her, but she disregarded it. She felt him slightly bump into her shoulder and judging from the force behind it, he did on purpose. Kai spun around to lash out at him, but before she could do anything she heard a door open behind her. The sound of the metal door opening distracted her and she turned around only to be nearly blinded by the noon-time sun. Kai immediately brought her bandaged arm to her face to block and she squinted her eyes to block out the blinding sun. Once her eyes had gotten used to the sudden introduction of light Kai saw Zuko standing in the middle of the deck doing some pre-training session stretches. Kai stopped following Iroh and she rested her body against a wall and watched Iroh talk to Prince Zuko, even though she couldn't here anything they were saying.

Her crimson eyes stopped looking at the Uncle and nephew duo and turned her eyes up to the sky. The sky was a soft blue color and puffy white clouds passed over head providing some temporary shade on the hot deck. Occasionally, Kai felt compelled to reach out, thinking that she could touch the one of the clouds. But, she felt stupid when the sudden urge hit her so she kept her arms at her sides. As the minutes passed, Kai shifted her position and she pulled her knees up against her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Her chin rested on her knees as she watched Iroh instruct and guide Prince Zuko through several motions that she recognized. Prince Zuko impatiently rushed through the movements; his mere physicality showed that he didn't want to go through any basics of at all and he wanted to do was firebend. And when he actually did start to firebend, his movements were choppy and stiff. Kai continued to watch Zuko train and she began to wonder how she would apologize to Zuko for the incident that happened earlier that morning. Suddenly, she saw a stream of fire coming right at her. Kai's eyes widened and she quickly rolled on her side and barely managed to avoid it and as she rolled away she felt the heat lick at her skin and as the heat increased it felt like the heat waves wrapped around her throat and began to strangle her. As the heat subsided, the invisible arms that strangled her released her and she coughed and panted for air. Kai crimson eyes scanned the deck for her attacker and immediately her eyes fell upon Prince Zuko, who was smirking at her in a fighting stance.

"Sorry about that. . ." smirked Prince Zuko mockingly. Kai opened her mouth to shout something when a stinging sensation shot through her leg. She let out an agonized cry of pain and looked down at her leg and saw that part of her pant leg had caught fire. Kai quickly extended her hand and lifted the fire from the fabric of her pants. She locked her eyes on Zuko, who still was smirking down at her. Growling, she quickly shot the fire that spiraled and swirled in her hand, straight at Zuko. As the flame flew through the air, it narrowed into the shape of a dagger and Zuko barely managed to dodge the attack.

"What the hell was that for?! You did that on purpose!" roared Kai as she stood up and stormed at Zuko. Iroh ran over to her and took hold of her shoulders to calm her down.

"Are you okay?" asked Iroh, looking down at Kai's slightly burned leg.

"I'm fine!" she said through clenched teeth and walked past the concerned Iroh and went straight for Zuko. "Okay you better explain yourself!!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Zuko. His face was serious, but when Kai saw his lips quiver slightly, she knew that he was hiding his smirk.

"Don't pull that crap with me! You did that on purpose!"

"Well, maybe you deserved it. . ." growled Zuko in a low voice.

"What do you mean?" suddenly it Kai and she chuckled teasingly, "You still upset about what happened this morning?"

"Why wouldn't I?!" shouted Prince Zuko, getting right into Kai's face. Kai's eyes narrowed and her face became serious and all consideration of apologizing to Zuko vanished and was replaced with blind fury. Kai's hand balled up into a fist and without warning, and much to Zuko's surprise, she swung her fiery fist right and Zuko's face. Zuko's eyes widened and he staggered back in time to avoid the attack. "What are you doing?!" he shouted, exasperated. Kai didn't answer, she merely continued to glare and him before lunging at him. Just before Kai could get within a foot of Zuko, she felt a pair of arms take hold of her.

"Young lady!" she heard Iroh exclaim, concern in his voice, "you are in no condition to fight, your injuries have yet to heal and you should be resting. It's beyond me how you are able to move around like this or have this much energy!"

"I'll be fine! I'll sleep it off later!" shouted Kai as she struggled in Iroh's grip. 

"Look, I don't have time to deal with you," said Zuko pompously, "you're only getting in the way of my t-"

"In the way of what?! Your training?! Well, here's a little head's up mister! You aren't going to learn anything the way you're going! There's not much benefit to fighting some invisible opponent! In short, you're going no where fast!!"

"Take that back!" shouted Prince Zuko.

"I will not!" shouted Kai. Suddenly, Kai felt Iroh's grip starting to loosen, "It's not my fault that you can't handle the fact that your training methods are ineffective!"

"I'll show you ineffective!" Zuko's fist flew to his sides and the two flames took the shape of daggers. Seeing this, Kai quickly broke from Iroh's grip and pushed him out of the way so he wouldn't get caught in the crossfire. Once Iroh was out of the way, Zuko charged at Kai with a downward swipe of his fire dagger, which Kai easy avoided by simply stepping to the side. She stepped to the right and jumped up into the air, spun, and delivered a fiery kick to Zuko's side with her left leg, sending him several feet away. Kai landed nimbly in a crouched position and she got up slowly, never taking her eyes off of Zuko, who has off in the distance holding his side in shock. Zuko looked at Kai, once he recovered and charged at her like a crazed animal. Kai smirked when she saw him prepping up for a fire blast and when he unleashed his attack Kai's eyes widened and focused on the central point the attack and pointed her left and right index and middle fingers through it and tore through the middle with a swiping motion. As her hands separated and dispersed the flames, her left hand bumped in to Prince Zuko's and she immediately took hold of it and pulled him down. Her knee shot upward and hit Prince Zuko sharply in the abdomen. Kai heard Zuko gasp and before he could cough she shoved him roughly off her knee and purposely put him in a standing position. Zuko teetered for a bit disoriented and unable to breathe and within second he found himself on the ground, his chest aching from lack of oxygen and from Kai's powerful kick. The world around Zuko spun furiously and suddenly he discovered that he was leaning against the wall of the ship. Zuko shook his head, snapping himself out of his stupor and stood up. He suddenly felt his Uncle's hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright Prince Zuko?" asked Iroh.

"I'm fne. . ." panted Prince Zuko, "How is she doing all this? It's like everything I throw at her doesn't work!" Prince Zuko looked over at Kai and saw that she wasn't doing anything. She was just standing there, staring him down, and waiting.

"Prince Zuko, you need to focus more and break through her root stance and attack her when she is of guard if you wish to defeat her, "

"Uncle, I don't think you understand!" barked Prince Zuko, "She jumps around so much and move so fast, I don't think she **has** root stance!" Prince Zuko tore away from his Uncle and charged and Kai. He pulled his fist back to punch, but suddenly Zuko saw that she was gone. Kai had flipped over him and landed behind him. But, Prince Zuko's reflexes kicked in and before Kai's drawn back flaming palm could make contact with Zuko's back, he swung his legs around and knocked her off her feet.

"AGH!" yelped Kai in surprise, but her surprise was replaced with an excruciating pain in her back. Kai landed flat on her back on the cold metal deck and she bit her lip to fight the pain, but she didn't have any time to wait and let the pain subside for when she opened her eyes she saw a fireball coming straight at her. Thinking quickly, Kai rolled away just in time to avoid the possibly fatal blow. After she rolled away, Kai stuck her hands out, palms facing Zuko, but suddenly she felt hands wrap around her wrists. She looked up, only to see Iroh holding her down and pushing back his nephew.

"Well, I think that's enough of a sparring session for today," he said smiling, releasing the two teenagers. Kai sprung up from the ground and ran at Zuko only to be stopped by Iroh again.

"I'm not done with him yet!! LEMME AT HIM!!" roared Kai her hands extending outwards in a feeble attempt to grab Zuko and throw him to the ground. Iroh held her so she was dangling away from the floor at Iroh's hip

"Uncle get out of the way!" barked Zuko who was just as eager to fight as Kai.

"I think you two are done here," said a familiar voice. Both Zuko and Kai turned their heads to see who was talking. It was Dr. Shin.

"Oh, Doctor, I didn't see you there," greeted Iroh, "how long have you been here?"

"Long enough. General Iroh, may I speak with you?" asked Dr. Shin. Kai looked at him as she dangled in Iroh's arms, her feet barely touching the floor and her arms dangling freely. Dr. Shin didn't have that normal relaxed look on his face; instead it was replaced with a look of silent fury and worry.

"Of course," nodded Iroh seriously. He followed Dr. Shin to the other side of the deck, with Kai still in his arms. Kai's face dropped and her eyebrow arched.

"Uh, could you put me down before you have you heart to heart man talk?" she asked.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" laughed Iroh. He quickly put Kai down in the normal standing position and pat her shoulder before walking away with Dr. Shin to the a front of the ship out of Kai's hearing range. Kai folded her arms and looked at the two men, trying to read their lips and figure out what they were talking about. They both looked so serious and that peaked her curiosity even more. She was so focused on the silent conversation that Iroh and Dr. Shin were partaking in that she didn't even notice that Zuko was standing right next to her.

"Hey," he said bluntly, in a slightly commanding tone, "what are they talking about?"

"I don't know, I can't figure it ou-" she suddenly stopped when she realized who she talking to, "Wait, why am I talking to you?!" she said, her face twisted in disgust. She even backed away from tempered Prince.

"What? I was just asking a question! Are you looking for another fight?"

"Maybe I **am**," said Kai getting right into his face.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" shouted Dr. Shin, "No fighting you two! We need you two to get along!" Kai and Zuko backed away from each other and glared at each other from a distance.

"Dr. Shin is right, we do need you two to get along, after all you two are going to be spending a lot more time together. . ."

"Huh?!" said the two teenagers in unison, their eyes wide with shock.

"Kai, remember what you and I discussed?" said Iroh, "about how I thought it would be best if I had Prince Zuko watch over you while you recover?"

"Unfortunately. . ." grumbled Kai.

"Well, now Dr. Shin and I both have agreed on Prince Zuko watching you,"

"Wait! Don't I have any say in this?!" demanded Zuko, "I am NOT a baby sitter!"

"Sorry, but we think that it would be best if you watched over her," said Dr. Shin, "I'm busy going to busy with the crew's monthly check ups so I can't do much and you Uncle will be busy as well. So you two might as well bite your tongues and suck it up because you're going to be stuck with each other!" said Dr. Shin sternly. 

"Will you two promise to try to get along?" asked Iroh

"I'm not making any promises. . ." grumbled Zuko.

"Me neither," agreed Kai.

"Well, at the very least make an attempt to tolerate each other. . ." sighed Dr. Shin. Kai looked at Zuko at the corner of her eyes and she could see that Zuko was doing the same. Kai's arm suddenly unlocked it self from it's folded position across her chest and shot out towards Zuko. Zuko looked at her hand in surprise.

"Okay, I'll try to tolerate him. . ." grumbled Kai. Suddenly, all eyes were on Prince Zuko, except for Kai who was looking in the opposite direction.

"Alright, fine!" grumbled Zuko, Kai suddenly felt Zuko's strong hand take hold of her own. When they shook hands it looked like they were trying to rip each other's arms off. And when they pulled apart it was in a sharp jerky motion. 

"Wonderful!" smiled Uncle Iroh, "Come along Dr. Shin I'll help you set up the documents for the check ups,"

"Alright," smiled Dr. Shin, "So, we'll be docking tomorrow to get the necessary supplies, right?"

"Correct, we'll be docking some where nea-" the conversation between the two men faded away and Kai and Prince Zuko were left on the deck alone. A soft breeze blew past the two teenagers, making Kai's long black hair flutter in the wind and lifted her loose fitting clothing off her skin, revealing the bandages underneath.

"So. . ." said Kai breaking the awkward silence, "what do you wanna do?"

"I dunno. . ." shrugged Prince Zuko. Kai let out a bored, exasperrated sigh.

"This should be interesting. . ." sighed Kai as she walked away from Prince Zuko.

"Hey! Come back here!" shouted Zuko running after her.

**Author's Note**:

WOOT I'm done with this ultra long chapter! 8 pages!!! O.o –faints-

Lol anways, I hope you liked it and as always sorry for any typos and stay tuned. Now I gotta go to my aunt's house…. I'll fix my typos when I get back. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!  
_update_:  
I fixed all the errors I could find so yay  
So, reviews/comments are welcome as always

-BeautifullyAbstract


	12. Chapter 12 Stars

**Chapter 12**

**Stars**

"So. . ." said Kai, breaking the awkward silence, "what do you wanna do?"

"I dunno. . ." shrugged Prince Zuko. Kai let out a bored, exasperated sigh.

"This should be interesting. . ." sighed Kai as she walked away from Prince Zuko.

"Hey! Come back here!" shouted Zuko running after her. Kai continued to walk away from Prince Zuko until she felt his gruff hand on her small shoulder spin her around so she was facing him.

"What?" asked Kai, doing her best not to snap at her newly acquired companion.

"My Uncle told me I have to watch over you and you go running off!" exclaimed Zuko as he let go of Kai's shoulder.

"Your point. . .?" asked Kai as she folded her arms folded across her chest.

"That's NOT okay!" he shouted. Kai stared at Zuko for moment and she almost started laughing because of the absurdity of his simple comment.

"Alright," she said, her voice shaking a bit since she was trying to hold in her laughter, "I'll stay."

"Good," said Prince Zuko with a nod of his head. Immediately, an eerie, awkward silence followed. There was a sense of tension that surrounded the two teenagers, and it seemed to engulf them in this imaginary bubble leaving the two of them alone, isolated from the rest of the world. Kai shifted uneasily and rocked side to side on her feet, mimicking the movement of the ship. And almost at the same time, both teenagers averted their gaze and looked away from one another. Several moments went by before Kai suddenly heard Zuko let out an exasperated sigh. "This is ridiculous. . ." he said, frustrated, "how does Uncle expect me to play babysitter! I don't have anytime for that!" Kai looked at Prince Zuko again and furrowed her brow a bit.

"Well, sorry that I'm such a burden," she grumbled angrily. Wanting to leave Prince Zuko alone and relieve the burden of his having to watching over her, Kai began to walk away. Prince Zuko saw this immediately and called out her again.

"Wait!" Kai stopped, "I didn't mean it like that. . ." Zuko spoke like he was laboriously forcing the words out, making an attempt to somewhat get along her. Seeing this, Kai turned around to face Zuko and saw that he had his head in his hand, his palm resting on his forehead and his fingers rubbing his temples, "I mean, how could Uncle just leave me and expect me to do something else when we're not even done training for today," Kai sighed and her face scrunched as she struggled to get words out.

"Well," said Kai, uneasily, "if you want. . . I could. . .I could. . .maybe. . .I dunno. . .perhaps. . . assist you in your training. . ." she strained for the last word, "regimen?"

_"Training regimen"?! What the hell is wrong with me and why have my capabilities to speak normally failed me completely?!_ she mentally scolded herself.

" 'Training regimen'?" repeated Zuko.

"Look! Do you want help or not?!" she barked, making Prince Zuko shirk back for a moment.

"Alright! Alright! Tell me what to do," sighed Zuko. Kai looked at him and saw that he was far from willing to let her instruct him, but she shrugged and proceeded to teach.

"Okay, then. Attack me," commanded Kai. Zuko smirked and sent a fire blast straight at Kai's face. When the flames cleared, Kai wasn't there. He looked around trying to figure out where she had gone, when he suddenly felt a painful amount of pressure building up around his elbow. He winced and looked down and saw Kai crouching below his arm. One hand held onto his wrist and her other hand was pushing his elbow upwards little by little.

"Lesson one. Make your movements unpredictable. The last thing you want is for your opponent to know what you're about to do. For instance, that move you did just know was incredibly easy to see coming. Lucky for you, this is a training session. If it wasn't, all I would have to do is," Kai drew back the hand she had near Zuko's elbow back and suddenly brought it back up, almost looking like she was about to strike him, "**that** and I could break your arm in half." Kai released him and stepped away from him. Prince Zuko held his elbow nervously, thinking about how easy it would be for Kai harm him. The hours passed and Kai continued to give tips on Zuko's fighting by the time the sun was starting to set, Zuko was exhausted. But, he stubbornly fought of his fatigue and repeatedly attacked Kai, while trying to follow her instructions

"GARH!" roared Zuko as he unleashed another attack.

"Come on Zuko! Focus!" shouted Kai as she dodged it, "You have to move faster!"

"I'm TRYING!" he shouted back as he swung his leg down only to have Kai block it with her forearm. The two teenagers made eyes contact with one another as they held that position for a moment. There was no anger, hate or malice behind their gaze they just looked at one another almost as if they were silently speaking to each other. But that was only for a brief moment, for suddenly Kai pushed Zuko's leg off her arm and as he fell back she hooked her foot behind the foot that Zuko was balancing on and pulled him back, making Zuko land with a thud on the cold deck.

"HEY!" she heard a voice shout behind her. Kai turned around and saw the doctor running towards them. "Kaaaaaiiiii, what'd I tell you about fighting?" he said in a whining, pleading voice.

"Huh?"

"Don't give me that! I saw you knock him to the ground!"

"We weren't fighting," said Prince Zuko as he got up from the ground. The doctor looked at him wide eyed.

"It's called sparring," said Kai, folding her arms across her chest, "it's completely different."

"How is it different?" asked Zuko, wiping the sweat from his brow, "That makes no sense."

"Look, fighting is when you're goal is to be the living crud out of your opponent. Sparring is when you're goal is to increase your skills in fighting so you can beat the living crud out of your opponent later. Plus you don't get hurt when you spar."

"Are you kidding me? I can barely move my arms and legs!"

"Hey, as long as you're standing up you'll be fine. Just stretch, focus, don't leave yourself open, and increase your speed and you should be okay next time."

"That's easy for you to say," sighed Zuko. Dr. Shin just stared at the two teenagers as they talked his mouth slightly agape. After several moments, Kai noticed the doctor's shocked appearance.

"Uh. . ." Kai reached over and closed the doctor's slightly open mouth, "there, that's better."

"I can't believe it," he said, "You two aren't fighting," Kai rolled her eyes and turned her back on the doctor.

"Don't get used to it. . ." her voice was almost inaudible and was nearly drowned out by the roar of the waves crashing against the metal hull of the ship. Kai sighed to herself and turned around and walked past the doctor. With her hand on the back of her head she grumbled, "Jeez, I fight with the guy a few times and they freak out. The one time I **don't** fight the guy, they still freak out. . ." Kai continued to mumble to herself, but the doctor and Prince Zuko could no longer hear her above the roar of the waves. The wind started to pick up and it made a howling noise as it blew against the ship's metal frame. 

"Prince Zuko, you had better get inside," suggested the doctor as he braced himself slightly against the wind. The Prince nodded silently and walked towards the door, but before entering he looked off to the side of the ship where Kai now was, silently wondering if she would come inside too. "Kai, are you coming?" called the doctor. The young girl couldn't hear the doctor's call as the wind roared around her making her deaf to anything else but the wind's hollow and haunting howl. Her long black hair whipped about her until she was safely hidden by the ship's side, where the wind could no longer reach her. The doctor shrugged at Kai's silent refusal to enter the ship and left her on the deck.

When Kai heard the loud click that signaled the door's closing she collapsed onto deck, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Kai didn't bother trying to stand back up; she merely lay there finding the cold metal soothing against her tired and aching muscles. A comfortable numbness spread throughout her body and the any will and desire to get up had vanished. For the past several days she had been ignoring her body's cries for rest and the excruciating pain from her still recovering wounds, it was inevitable that she'd crash like this. But, it was better that she had collapsed in exhaustion when no one was looking. As Kai's eye lids grew heavy, she imagined what would have happened if she had collapsed in front of the doctor or Prince Zuko or Iroh. The worried looks she imagined would on their faces almost made her sick. She hated being pitied, after all she felt like she didn't deserve it or need it.

The hours passed and the setting sun had disappeared behind the horizon. The lush and vibrant reds, golds, oranges, and yellows of the afternoon sunset had disappeared and in its place came the tranquility of night with its dark blanket of black, dark blue and dark violet that enveloped the sky and drew the world into a deep sleep. There was no moon illuminating the sky with it's gentle and soft glow, only the stars provided a small amount of celestial light to the earth below it. Kai had remained on in the same position on the floor now for several hours. The difference, however, was that she was on her back instead of in that awkward position from when she fell. Meanwhile, Prince Zuko and his Uncle were sitting at a small table just about to eat dinner.

"So, Prince Zuko," smiled Uncle Iroh, "how was you day?"

"Good I guess…" he grumbled as he ate some of his food.

"Did you do anything interesting?"

"Kai and I just did some train-" Prince Zuko stopped and his eyes widened, "KAI!!" he suddenly got to his feet and ran out the door.

"Prince Zuko, where are you going?" asked Iroh.

"I have to get Kai! She's still out on deck!" he shouted before he slammed the door behind him. Iroh laughed softly to himself and continued to eat.

Kai's crimson eyes gazed up at the twinkling stars above, her bandaged arms rested on her stomach while the metal ship rocked gently underneath her. The gentle rocking often made Kai wonder what would happen if the ship had suddenly titled too far. Would she roll past the railing and be cast away into the dark ocean? If she did fall into the ocean, would she have enough strength to swim to the surface? "_Probably not_…" she thought to herself. The thought of plunging herself into the ocean, never to resurface again, never to see the light of day, never to feel the pain of rejection, never to feel the physical anguish spread throughout her body whenever she was attacked seemed all too tempting. But, all thoughts of ending her own life at that moment were cast away when she suddenly saw a falling star. The sight of the falling star triggered something in her mind and Kai began to recall an old fairytale she was told as a child.  
_  
Once upon a time, a long, long time ago, dating back one hundred years after the first waterbenders learned how to push and pull water like the moon, there was a girl who lived in the Southern Water Tribe. Her name was Yuralria. She was a fairly normal girl who was described as soft spoken and shy, but often people would stay away from her because of her eyes. Yuralria's eyes were crystal blue in color and looked as if they were fogged like the eyes of those who were dead or blind. Because of her abnormal trait, almost everyone was afraid of her, including her own parents. However, Yuralria did not complain, she was content living in quiet solitude._

Years passed and Yuralria grew into a beautiful young woman. But, even after all those years of living around her, the people of the Southern Water Tribe remained afraid of her because she did not look like anyone else. The old women of the village spread rumors about Yuralria saying that she was an evil spirit in a human body or that she had no soul and her body was but a walking corpse. However, there was one rumor that spread around the village that was true. Yuralria was trying to learn waterbending. Back then, only the men of the village were allowed to learn waterbending and it was forbidden for a woman to learn or be taught waterbending and Yuralria was often seen watching the men practice the art of waterbending and several villagers even claimed to see her practicing in the dead of night when no one was around. But, no matter how long she practiced or how long she trained, she was never able to do anything but make a little bump appear on the surface of a small amount of water.

As the rumors worsened, the gap between Yuralria and her people became bigger and bigger until she was deemed an outcast and even her parents were ashamed of her. But, Yuralria said nothing. Despite the rejection of those around her, she was blessed with the ability to ease one's spirit. She would often go to someone who was troubled and upset, offer a few words of comfort and leave. When she left, those who were once crying and upset continued with their day as if nothing were ever wrong. But, with that blessing came consequences. Whatever emotional pain a person was suffering, if Yuralria came to that person, she would rid them of their burden and take their pain onto herself. At night Yuralria found herself crying for someone's lost relative whom she never even knew. She continued to live each day, taking on the burdens of almost the entire village, and suffering in silence. Yuralria never complained and never told anyone what she was able to do and what it was doing to her own mental state, but even if she were to tell anyone, no one would believe her.

One night, as she stood by the ocean, practicing her waterbending, as she usually did, Yuralria suddenly began to cry. All the years of silent suffering, never telling anyone what was wrong, and never finding anyone who would listen to her, finally got to the poor girl. She fell to her knees, held her hands to her face and wept. The only witnesses to her suffering were the moon and the ocean. For nine nights in a row she came to the same place and wept, until one night she heard a voice call out her name. She ignored the calls at first, thinking she was going insane, but the voice called a second time only louder. When she looked up she saw that everything had become still, the turtle seals stopped barking and the penguins stopped squawking. Even the ocean became completely still. And there, standing before her, was a beautiful woman dressed in dark blue ceremonial robes and resting atop of her long raven hair was a beautiful headdress she had seen often in tribal ceremonies. The woman opened her arms and smiled gently at the weeping Yuralria. 

_**You poor thing. . .**__ said the woman, her voice echoing softly through the night air, __**You have suffered for so long. Come with me. . .**__ called the woman. Yuralria stood up slowly and walked into the woman's arms, almost as if she were in a trance. The beautiful woman embraced her and brushed away Yuralria's tears. When Yuralria looked down she saw that she was standing on top of the ocean with the woman and before she could panic, the two of them began to sink into the cold sea. Water filled Yuralria's lungs and everything suddenly went black. When she woke again, she found herself resting on the ground and in a panic she stood up only to bump into a man. The man was dressed in a similar fashion as the woman, only his clothes were white._

_**Be at ease my child. . .**__ the man said, smiling down at the frightened girl._

_**Who are you?**__ she asked._

_**We are Tui and La,**__ said both the man and woman in unison, __**We are the ocean and moon spirits.**__ Yuralria's eyes widened and she immediately threw herself at the spirits' feet, only to be picked up and put in the standing position. __**There is no need for that. . . You are one of us now. . .**__  
__**What do you mean?**__ she asked. The man made sweeping gesture to something that was behind the girl and when she turned around she saw an immense black lake. __**What is this place?**___

_**This, **__said the woman __**is the place where we watch on all mortals. To mortals this lake is their sky and from here we can see all that happens on earth. **__As the woman explained the girl knelt on the banks of the lake and peered into black waters only to find that the woman spoke the truth. She could see the entire world in the black waters. She could even look so far and peer into her own parent's house._

_**Wait!**__ she cried __**What happened to me? Why am I here?**__ The girl began to panic, but the man placed his gentle had on her shoulder and calmed her down._

_**For many centuries the sky has remained dark, and the only source of light has been the moon. You have been brought here to bring further beauty to the night sky. You will become another source of light even when I, the moon, am absent. **__he explained_

_**But why me?**___

_**Because, my child,**__ said the woman __**you feel compassion and show more love for anyone than any other mortal we have seen. And you behave,**__ she glanced at the man, her eyes full of love for him __**much like us**__. The girl became silent and looked into the waters._

_**What do I have to do?**__ she asked, fear apparent in her foggy, crystal blue eyes._

_**Step onto the lake and begin waterbending.**__ said the man_

_**But I can't waterbend!**__ exclaimed Yuralria. The woman put a hand on her shoulder and smiled._

_**Just try. . .**__. Yuralria sighed and nervously stepped out onto the water. Much to her surprise she didn't sink and she continued her journey to the center of the vast lake. With every step she took a small light appeared where her foot once was, making a little trail of lights appear behind her. She closed her eyes when she reached the middle of the lake and she suddenly felt a great calm wash over her. Every part of her body seemed to relax, almost as if she were becoming one with water. Yuralria took a deep breath and opened her eyes. The sight that she saw was simply breath taking. Everywhere, on the vast lake, lights started to appear, the first of them forming nearest to her body then spreading out until they were scattered all across the dark surface. Yuralria had created the stars.  
Yuralria looked at Tui and La nervously, but they merely smiled and nodded, silently telling her to continue. Yuralria gulped and extended her hands out in front of her and nervously began to waterbend. When she saw the ease at which the water rose from the surface, a new found confidence spread through out her and she began to bend the water and dance gracefully. As she danced and bend the water in different directions, soft colors began to appear on the surface of the dark lake like ribbons. That night, Yuralria had created the first stars and the phenomenon that was the Northern Lights. Those who were there the night the stars first appeared and Northern Lights first danced across the sky could not find words to describe the pure beauty of it all. And little did the people of the Southern Water Tribe know that it was their own Yuralria who created the stars. They couldn't even fathom that she who was called an evil spirit could create such beauty._

Days passed, the stars now appeared every night and Yuralria watched the people of the Southern Water Tribe from above. Search parties were sent out to look for the missing girl, but all efforts to find Yuralria were in vain and the search was called off in two short days. Life continued, and soon everyone forgot who Yuralria was. They didn't even remember her name. Even in the heavens, she couldn't escape the sense of loneliness she felt while she was on earth. Not even Tui and La could console her. The two of them had each other and every night they would dance with each other in perfect harmony while Yuralria watched. Now, when Yuralria does dance, the Northern Lights appear in the sky. Some say that Tui and La gave her a cloak that flows about her when she dances and that is what creates the beautiful lights. Others say that it is her waterbending that brings out the sky's beautiful colors. And when ever someone sees a shooting star, they say that those are her tears and that she's crying because of her loneliness. After all, she spent her whole mortal lifetime alone and even as a spirit she is alone. Tui and La dance together for all eternity, but poor Yuralria is forced to dance alone in heavens.

"_That's sad_. . ." said the voice of a little girl.

"_Yeah, I know_. . ." the other voice came from a boy who sounded much older than the girl, "_What makes it worse is that no one remembers her name._"

"_What are you talking about Takashi? You said her name a thousand times in the story. . ._"

"_I made that name up. . ._"

"_Why_?"

"_I dunno. . . maybe because I wanted to help her not feel quite as lonely anymore. To show her that there's someone down here that still remembers her, even if it isn't her real name. _"

"_Then I'll remember her name too._"

"_Good. She'll be happy because of that_," laughed the boy "_Look a shooting star!_"

"_She's crying. I thought you said she'd be happy_. . ." commented the little girl.

"_You're right. Well, maybe she's happy and she's crying for another reason. You know what I also heard_?" 

"_What_?"

"_Ever since the war started, people have said that there have been more falling stars in the sky than ever before_."

"_That makes sense. . . she sad because the world's at war. . . But why was she crying just now_?"

"_Maybe she's happy that you'll remember her…_"

"_That's not it_. . ."

"_Well,_" The boy's voice grew incredibly soft, "_Maybe because she crying because of you. . . _"

"_What?!_" exclaimed the little girl, "_Why did I make her cry?!_"

"_Because a little girl like you shouldn't mixed up in a war like this, Kai. . ._" The boy's voice continued to call her name, but the tone soon changed into something more gruff sounding.

"KAI! KAI!! GET UP!!" shouted a voice above her. Kai felt a rough had shaking her body and her eyes slowly opened and saw Prince Zuko standing over her.

"Nnnnhh. . . whaddya want?" she grumbled.

"What are you doing out here?!" demanded Prince Zuko.

"I dunno. . . sleeping?" Kai wondered how long she was out for. It felt like she had been asleep for hours, but she couldn't have been out for more than a few minutes. Suddenly, she felt her body being violently jerked off the floor. When she tried to stand her legs caved underneath her and she fell forward and fell into Zuko's arms.

"Oh come on! Get off of me!" Zuko tried pushing the tired girl off of him.

"Just shut up and let me sleep. . ." she grumbled. Prince Zuko sighed and threw her arm around his shoulder so he could support her weight and began walking. Kai's eyes remained slightly closed as she walked sluggishly with Prince Zuko. But suddenly he came to a halt.

"Mizuki, what are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Oh, I just saw the little lady sleeping over here and I thought I'd come and bring her to you," Kai recognized this voice. It was the voice of the crew man she had seen in the hallways several times.

"Well, you don't need to do that anymore so get back to your station!" he barked. Kai heard the man's laughter before she completely lost consciousness and fell to the ground, fast asleep. The next morning Kai woke to the sound of a man singing.

" _Leaves from the vine, falling so slow. Like fragile, tiny shells, drifting in the foam. Little soldier boy, come marching home. Brave soldier boy, comes marching home. . ._" Kai's eyes focused and she saw Iroh sitting at a table adjacent to where she was laying. Her eyes scanned the room and she saw that she was in Prince Zuko's room laying on the futon that had been laid out for her. Iroh's eyes fell upon Kai and he smiled brightly. "Oh good morning!"

"Nnh. . . mornin'. . ." she yawned as she rubbed her eyes. Kai slowly started to sit up when her tight muscles contracted in her body and forced her back down onto the futon almost as if they were saying, 'No! You're not going anywhere today! You're going to rest!'. Iroh saw this and slowly got up and helped the young girl sit up.

"Easy. . ." he said as he brought her up to a sitting position. Kai's face twisted in contorted in pain as her muscles twitched and shuddered with every movement she made. She took several deep breathes, fighting the pain coursing through out her body. She suddenly felt something warm against her face. Her eyes opened and saw that Uncle Iroh was holding a cup of tea close to her lips, "Here. . . this should help your muscles relax more. . ." Kai raised an eyebrow at the old man and slowly moved her head away from the cup and warily took it into her own bandaged hands. She brought the warm cup to her lips and took a sip. Almost immediately she felt the relaxing effects of the tea on her tense body. Kai let her hands gently hold the cup in her hands while she looked at Iroh.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"It's almost noon," he answered, "You've been asleep for quite a while. In fact you gave me a bit of a fright when I saw Prince Zuko carry you in last night," he said laughing. Kai thought back and remembered bits and pieces of the other night. "Are you feeling any better? Is the tea helping?"

"Yeah," she said quietly, avoiding Iroh's kind gaze, "the tea's great. . ."

"Excellent!" laughed Iroh, clapping his hands together, "Oh! Before I forget, I got you something while Dr. Shin, the crew and I were restocking on supplies!" Kai raised an eyebrow and her eyes filled with suspicion. "Do not fear, it is nothing bad. In fact I think you may like it." Iroh laughed amiably and walked to the other side the room and retrieved a box and handed it to Kai. Kai let it drop onto her lap after she took it from Iroh and she looked at it for a moment.

"Is this thing gonna explode when I open it?" she asked suspiciously.

"Of course it won't," he smiled, "I'll leave you alone. Prince Zuko and I will be waiting outside on deck for you." Before Kai could say another word, Iroh had shut the door on her leaving her alone in the room. The young firebender looked down at the package, let out a sigh and opened it slowly. Inside she saw something red. Curious, she picked it up and held it out in front of her and saw that it was a dark red Samue (the equivalent to a long shirt), only unlike most Samue's this one had shorter sleeves. In fact, it looked like there were no sleeves, all there was a slit that created an appealing tailoring design. Along the edges on the sleeves and as well as the hem of the Samue, dark yellow fabric was sewn on creating a nice border. She put the Samue on the ground and picked up a sash that matched the dark yellow fabric that she guessed that it was supposed to go around her waist. Along with the rest of the outfit was a pair of black pants, a black undershirt and shoes. Kai slowly got up from the futon, left the box on the bed and took her new clothes into the bathroom. After taking a shower she quickly pulled the Samue over her head, tied the sash around her waist so the Samue fit snuggly against her body, put the black pants on and the shoes afterwards. She stepped back and looked at herself in the mirror.

One part of her mind detested the fact that she looked so "Fire Nation" however; there was another part of her that like the way she looked in the new clothes. She no longer looked like the ragged doll she used to look like. The only thing that seemed out of place was her hair. Kai's long black hair looked shaggy and unkempt and her bangs covered her eyes almost completely. Kai sighed and tried to pull back her messy hair, all to no avail. Sighing, Kai searched the cabinets and drawers until she found what she was looking for. A knife. Once she had found the knife she began hacking away at her bangs until they were neat and somewhat befitting to her current appearance. She gather up her cut locks and tossed it in the waste basket before returning the knife to it's original place in one of the drawers. After folding up her old clothes and placing them on the futon she walked up to the deck. As she walked she felt like she stood a little bit taller. Iroh was the first one to see Kai when she appeared on deck. Zuko was too busy impatiently pacing back and forth across the deck.

"That outfit looks very nice on you, Kai," he smiled, "I'm glad I got the right size,"

"Yeah, thanks for the new clothes. . . I don't have any money to pay you back, bu-"

"Oh, no, this is a gift. You don't need to repay me for anything," smiled Iroh. Kai was about to say something in protest when she felt something knock her down from behind. Kai yelped a bit and stumbled forward. The tea Iroh gave her was working wonders; her muscles didn't contract painfully at the sudden push.

"What the hell was that for?!" she barked at the person who bumped into her. Kai came face to face with Prince Zuko who was looking at her, his eyes a bit wide. Kai raised an eyebrow and she forgot the reason why she had yelled at him. She found a new reason to yell at him, "What the hell are you staring at?!"

"You. . . look. . . different. . ." he said slowly, as he looked at her up and down. Kai rolled her eyes.

"Really? What was the first clue the new clothes or the hair?" Kai growled angrily at him. Prince Zuko's temper was about to flare out of control when Iroh stepped between the two teenagers.

"Alright, that quite enough you two," he laughed as he patted their shoulders. Prince Zuko sighed and calmed himself a bit.

"So, Uncle why did you need me?" he asked.

"Well, since the crew is gone running errands and restocking on supplies. I figured that you two could go out and venture around the market," he smiled. The two teenagers both had the same expression of shock and horror on their faces, "Now, there's no need to look like that. I think it's a great idea for you two to spend more time with each other."

"Uncle! Have you lost your mind?!" exclaimed Zuko, "What makes you think I can stand a day with her?!" Kai said nothing; Zuko had already said what she wanted to say.

"I realize that you two aren't so keen on this idea, but please do try to get along," A silence fell over the group only to be interrupted by a groan of frustration coming from Zuko.

"Somebody kill me. . ." he grumbled.

"Okay!" exclaimed Kai, an excited and happy look in her eyes as she raised her hand to smack Zuko across the head. Iroh's hand shot out and stopped Kai before she made any contact with the Prince's skull. "You ruin all my fun. . ." groaned Kai as Iroh released her hand. Iroh laughed and pulled a piece of parchment from his sleeve and handed it to Prince Zuko.

"What's this?" he asked as he took the list and read it.

"A shopping list," smiled Iroh.

"You want us to do some shopping for you?" Kai asked raising an eyebrow.

"Of course!" smiled Iroh, "As you might have noticed, I am weak and it is getting harder for me to perform the simplest tasks at my age-" 

"Alright, alright! We'll help!" groaned Zuko. Iroh smiled that familiar, warm smile and began to walk to the ramp that led to the deck. Reluctantly, Kai and Zuko followed. "Oh! I almost forgot my money! How careless of me, I'll be back in a moment. You two stay here," said Iroh before he made his way back up the metal ramp, leaving Kai and Zuko alone on the docks. Kai groaned and sat her self down on the wooden dock and silently rejoiced for being on dry land for the first time in over a month. Languidly, Kai pulled herself over to the edge of the dock and let her feet dangle so her new shoes just barely touched the water and she fixed her eyes on the school of minnows swimming just below her feet. Zuko sighed and sat beside Kai and stared at the fish as well. Out of sheer boredom she let her foot break the surface of the water making the fish scatter. Kai twirled the tip of her foot in a circle making ripples on the surface appear. Even though she couldn't see him, Kai could feel Zuko's eyes watching her every move, but she ignored him and continued on with her senseless task. Suddenly a low growl interrupted the otherwise peaceful silence between Prince Zuko and Kai. Both of there eyes widened at the sound and Kai's hand immediately flew to her stomach and Zuko looked down.

"What was **that**?" asked Zuko as he looked at Kai and then at her stomach.

"Nothing. . ." said Kai as the hand on her stomach clenched into a fist.

"What do you mean 'nothing'? I heard that!" exclaimed Prince Zuko in an almost accusing tone as he pointed at Kai's stomach.

"Oh shut up!" growled Kai as she smacked Zuko's hand away. She wrapped her arms around her stomach to suppress and muffle the rumbling, but her stomach only growled louder. Kai quietly groaned in agony and hunched over as the rumbling only grew worse. Only then did she realize that she hadn't eaten anything in three days and now she was paying for it.

"You hungry?" asked Prince Zuko. He bent over a bit, trying to catch a glimpse of Kai's agonized face.

"I'm fine. . ." she grumbled through her clenched teeth. Prince Zuko was about to say something else when the sound of footsteps interrupted his train of thought. Suddenly Kai felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up and came face to face with Iroh.

"What's wrong?" he asked a worried look on his face. Gods, Kai hated it when people worried about her.

"Nothing!" she barked, crankily only to have her grumbling stomach revealed the truth seconds later. 

"Why don't we go get some lunch before we start shopping, hmm?" smiled Iroh.

"But I-" her stomach growled again, only louder, "Okay fine. . ." Kai pushed herself off of the ground and followed Iroh into the heavily occupied marketplace with Zuko trailing only seconds behind her.

**Author's Note**:

I FINALLY MANAGED TO UPDATE!!! Reading Anne Rice can really help you get out of a writer's slump lol

But, anyways... I hope you enjoyed this chapter... this extra long chapter...that had to be divided into the three parts because it was too long I think this came up as like 15 pages on my comp... and as always sorry for any typos (there's bound to be a ton) and stick around. Oh and yes I did make that myth up about the stars make fun of it all you want, but I don't care! I made it up a year ago XP. And just to clarify, in the myth Tui and La were still fish on earth... the people that Yuralria saw were sorta like spiritual hologram thingies created by the two spirits and stuff... if that makes sense

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/6555/efaweql3.jpg

yup this is Kai I drew it (curse my stupid scanner for messing up the drawing)

and these dolls were created by the amazing **kaidawater **

http://i18. next time

**-BeautifullyAbstract**


	13. Chapter 13 Trouble

**Chapter 13  
Trouble**

The sounds of the seaside market place were almost deafening, but after spending several minutes in the market place, Kai's ears adjusted to the loud noise. She walked behind Iroh and casually walked with a pork bun in her mouth. She didn't bother holding it up since she was carrying another in her other hand. Even though the three of them had eaten a big lunch, Kai was still hungry, so Uncle Iroh bought Kai some pork buns while they were out. Kai's crimson eyes looked off to the side and saw Prince Zuko staring at her.

"Mmphf dar doo dawing af?" asked Kai, the pork bun still in her mouth.

"Do you know how ridiculous you look right now?" he asked. Kai rolled her eyes and shrugged; after all she hadn't eaten in three days and could care less about the "proper" way to eat food. She looked at Zuko again and saw that he was about to say something in protest and before he could make a sound Kai shoved a pork bun into his open mouth. "MMPHM?!" mumbled Zuko in shock, with the pork bun in his mouth. Kai bit into the pork bun in her mouth and ate it.

"Quit, complaining and eat," she commanded. Iroh turned around and couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Prince Zuko's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. When he opened his mouth to shout, the pork bun fell from his mouth.

"Uncle, don't lau- MPMH!" Prince Zuko was cut off and the pork bun was placed back in his mouth.

"Don't waste food like that!" Iroh's laughter grew more and he jovially patted his nephew on the shoulder.

"She's right, Prince Zuko," Iroh laughed," Well, thank you for helping me with the shopping," smiled Iroh, "You two deserve to go and have some free time. Just be sure that you're back by sunset,"

"Wait, what?" said Kai, slightly bewildered at the suggestion.

"Have fun, you two!" called Iroh who was already disappearing in the large crowd. Kai and Prince's Zuko's eyes widened and they both ran after Iroh. But much to their dismay, a wall of people prevented them from reaching Iroh and Kai accidentally bumped into a man who walked in her path.

"Dammit!" she cursed under her breath.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" barked the man with whom she collided with.

"Sorry," said Kai as she looked up and apologized to the man with whom she collided with. Suddenly, the man's eyes locked onto her, his brow furrowed and the corner of his lips twisted into a smirk that made Kai uneasy. But, before anything could happen, Kai felt a hand jerk her back and far away from the man.

"Don't just stand there gawking!" barked Zuko as he turned Kai to face him, "Come on, we better find another way around this crowd." Zuko turned sharply in the opposite direction. He was so hell bent on finding his Uncle, that he didn't even realize that he was still dragging Kai by the wrist. Kai didn't mind though. Her mind was focusing on other things. As the two teenagers made their way past the suffocating crowds, Kai had that uneasy feeling that someone was following them. That uncomfortable feeling didn't go away when they were walking in a deserted area of the market that was by the waterfront, it only grew worse. The two teenagers walked side by side along the deserted pathway, Kai's wrist still locked in Zuko's hand. "Where is he?" Zuko muttered to himself, scanning the deserted street. Kai turned her head slightly and her eyes narrowed. Several feet behind them, walking towards them, was the man who she had bumped into before, only this time he wasn't alone.

"Uh, you wanna check in there?" suggested Kai, pointing to a store, in hopes of distracting Zuko. Zuko looked at her questioningly. "Hey, you never know. . ." she shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. Zuko shrugged and walked into the store, unknowing that Kai had ripped her wrist from his grip. Kai watched him go into the store, and when the door closed and he was out of sight she turned her attention to the men who were getting closer to her, greedy smiles plastered on their faces. As the men drew closer, Kai's eyes narrowed into a spine tingling, deadly looking glare which made a few men back away in fear.

"Do you think we should be doing this?" she heard one men whisper.

"Why shouldn't we?" barked the man she had bumped into several minutes ago, "With the reward money we'll get for her, we'll be set for life!" Kai's eyes widened and she realized who the men were. Bounty hunters. But, she breathed a silent sigh of relief. From the looks of it, these men were inexperienced and could be easily dealt with. The man nodded his head to the side, signaling for his cronies to surround Kai.

"Alright, girly," sneered the man, his arms folded across his chest in a pathetic attempt to make himself look like the leader of the group, "come with us and you won't get hurt." Kai rolled her eyes and said nothing much to the man's ire. "Did you understand me?" he barked, saying each word slowly, almost as if he were talking to a five year old child "I said come with us and you won't get hurt!"

"Give me a break. . ." muttered Kai.

"What?!" shouted the man.

"I said, 'give me a break' "shouted Kai, mimicking the man, "Did **you** understand **me**?" Seeing the man's fist ball up and his eyes twitch in anger made Kai smirk with satisfaction.

"You little brat!" he screamed, "Look, just come with us and you won't get hurt. If you refuse, we'll resort to force! We can do this the easy way or hard way!"

"Never in history have I heard of bounty head ever surrendering themselves willingly," Kai's voice dripped with sarcasm, "And I'm not planning on being the first."

"Look girl," the man's patience was running out, "Are you coming with us or not?!" Kai smirked, looked to the side, and before any of the men could make a move, Kai kicked a man right into the water.

"How's that for an answer?" asked Kai, her voice no longer hinted sarcasm or humor, she was dead serious.

"GET HER!!" roared the man. All at once, the men who surrounded Kai charged straight at her and piled onto her. The leader did nothing; he just stood back and watched with a satisfied smirk on his face as he watched his men pile up on Kai. She didn't stand a chance against them, or at least that's what he thought. Suddenly groans of agony filled the air and one by one the large men were being beaten senseless.

Kai jumped into the air and kicked a man in the face; she could feel his nose breaking under her foot. As the man fell to the ground, Kai used his face as a launching pad and pushed off and flipped over the man closest to her. She nimbly landed behind him and the second man charged at her from behind, a knife held out in front of him. Kai easily leaned her head to the side and the last minute making the knife miss its original target. Kai quickly grabbed the man's arm, which was passing over her shoulder, leaned forward and using the man's own momentum against him, threw him into the water to join his other friend. Spinning around quickly, Kai saw another one of them coming at her, charging like a maniac. Kai just crouched down and let the man trip over her body and let him plunge into the cold water that waited for him. The last of the two men rushed over to see what had happened and they looked into the water, trying to find their comrades, but suddenly froze. Where did the girl go? The men felt a tap on their shoulders and they both turned around. They saw nothing. They only felt the a hand on the backs their heads and then the agonizing pain of their skulls being smashed into each other. Kai, who had slammed their heads together, smirked and let go of their heads and let them fall into the water on their own. She focused on the leader of the fallen rouge group. His face was red with anger. But, before he could utter one word Kai had deliver a blow to his face and threw him into the water to join his friends.

"Well, that was easy," sighed Kai. Right on cue, Prince Zuko exited the shop and came outside.

"He wasn't in there," he groaned. Kai turned around and walked towards him.

"Well, we better keep looking," she sighed.

"Uh, did something happen out here?" he asked as he looked around the deserted street. Kai's eyes widened slightly, but she remained calm.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"I thought I heard some noise from inside the shop,"

"You're going crazy. . ." she said in defense, "Come on we better keep looking," said Kai, quickly changing the topic.

"Well, where are we supposed to look?" growled Zuko.

"How the hell should I know?" barked Kai as she pushed the door open to another shop, bustling with customers, "All I know is that for now we'll just have to look into random shops until we. . ." Kai's voice trailed off. The noise shop suddenly became silent. Kai turned her attention from Zuko, who was still outside, and looked to see that she had opened a door to a weapons shop and on the wall beside her, was a picture of her on wanted poster. The men inside looked at her and smirks spread across their faces. "Crap. . ." muttered Kai when she saw the men wield the weapons they were previously inspecting before she came in.

**BAM!**

Kai slammed the door shut and pressed her back up the wood, her crimson eyes were wide with fright.

"What happened?" asked Zuko, looking at her bewildered. Just as Kai opened her mouth to say something the door behind her started buck and shake. Zuko's jumped a bit in surprise when he suddenly heard the roars of anger and the banging of fists from behind the door. Kai pushed her back up against the door more and more and even tried digging her heels into the dirt to give her self a better grip, but the door started to open more.

"RUN!!" she shouted at Zuko. Acting on instinct he immediately started to run and Kai followed after him. Without Kai to block the door, the men burst out the shop in frenzy, knocking the door off its hinges. As Kai and Zuko ran down the street, Kai looked over her shoulder only to see a group of angry men wielding new weapons gaining on them, "ZUKO, RUN FASTER!!!" Zuko looked at her, silently wondering why they would want to run faster, but when he saw the large group gaining on them he complied with Kai's order. But, no matter how fast the two terrified teenagers ran, the group only got closer and closer to them. Suddenly Kai felt someone jerk her off to the side and everything grew dark, small and tight. She opened her mouth to shout, but a hand soon silenced her. Kai looked up and saw that the covering her mouth was Zuko's, but he didn't look at her. His chest heaved and with every rise it pressed against her own chest and she could feel his warm breath on his face. Zuko's face was apprehensive, his brow furrowed as he looked off to the side. Kai followed Zuko's eyes and saw the crowd of men run past them. Once they were all gone, Zuko's hand left Kai's mouth and he looked down and glared at her.

"Why were they chasing you?!" he asked in whisper.

"I don't know why!" she lied. Kai knew the reason, but she couldn't tell Prince Zuko.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" Zuko got closer to Kai's face so he could hear her.

"I mean I don't know! They just saw me, got pissed, and started chasing!" she shouted back, only in a whisper.

"Why would they do that?!" Kai could feel Zuko's breath against his face and vice versa.

"I don't know! She hissed, "But what'd you expect to happen when a girl that enters a weapons shop?!"

"Uh, a simple 'get out' usually!"

"Oh shut up!" Kai lightly slammed her fist against Zuko's armor chest. All arguing suddenly came to a halt and the two teens looked down and saw how close they were to each other. Chests pressed against one another, faces only and inch apart and there was nothing between them. Kai felt her cheeks growing red and she pulled her head back to get away from Zuko only to bang the back of her head against the cold wall behind her. "Ow!" she hissed. Kai looked around and saw that the two of them were stuck in a narrow alleyway against each other. "Look what you did?!" hissed Kai, trying to ignore the blush that was spreading through her face.

"What do you mean?!" retorted Zuko, his face bright red.

"You dragged us in here and now we're STUCK!"

"It's not my fault!" growled Zuko. Kai had to lean forward a bit to hear him. "This is **your** fault!"

"What?!"

"If you hadn't gone into that store, we wouldn't be in this mess!" Suddenly Kai heard someone coming.

"Sh! Someone's coming!" she whispered. Zuko leaned in closer to hear Kai's almost inaudible voice.

"What?!"

"I said someone's coming!!" Zuko shut himself immediately and the two of them froze in their current positions. Silence fell over the two of them and Kai struggled to hear the footsteps she had heard before over her pounding heartbeat. Suddenly a figured appear in the opening of the alleyway.

"_CRAP_!" thought Kai.

"Prince Zuko? Kai?" called a familiar voice.

"Dr. Shin?!" said Prince Zuko, "Is that you?!"

"Yeah!" Kai breathed a sigh of relief and started to struggle to free herself from Zuko. "Kai, what are you doing?!" exclaimed the doctor.

"I'm trying to get out!" she barked, "What else did you think I was doing?!"

"Uh. . ." stammered the doctor. Kai's eyes widened and she immediately knew what he was thinking about.

"You're a SICK MAN!!" she shouted. Finally, Kai had managed to free herself and she stumbled out of the alleyway and onto ground. She pushed herself off the ground and came face to face with the doctor who was carrying baskets full of herbs.

"What are these for?" asked Zuko. Kai could feel Zuko's chest pressing against her back and she turned bright red.

"Oh, these? These are just some herbs that I'm gonna use for some medicines. Today's the crew's monthly check up," the doctor stopped talking and looked at Kai, "Speaking of check up, Kai are you feeling okay?" Dr. Shin pressed his hand against Kai's warm forehead. "You're feeling kinda warm. Do you have a fever?"

"I'm FINE!" shouted Kai in embarrassment as she stepped away from the two men. She felt much better now that she wasn't in between them. "Zuko, let's go find your Uncle already!" she exclaimed. Kai stormed off and Zuko was about to follow when Dr. Shin pulled him back.

"Prince Zuko," he said with a serious expression, "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" asked Zuko who sensed the urgency and heard the seriousness in his voice. Dr. Shin made the gesture to come closer and Zuko leaned in.

"Listen very carefully," whispered Shin.

"I'm listening. . ." There was a pause and Zuko could feel the tension rising. The suspense was unbearable.

"Prince Zuko, what I'm going to tell you is of the utmost importance so I need you to listen VERY carefully,"

"Just tell me already!"

"Never, never, never, take a girl into an alleyway so you can make out with her," Zuko froze and his eyes widened, "If you want to make out, go under the pier. . ." Zuko's face turned bright red and he smacked the doctor across the head.

"What is wrong with you?!" exclaimed Zuko. The doctor only laughed as he pushed his glasses up with his free hand.

"ZUKO, RUN!!!! THEY'RE BACK!!!" shouted Kai as she whizzed past the doctor and Zuko. Prince Zuko looked in the direction where Kai and had come from and saw the same crowd of angry men, brandishing weapons coming towards them once again.

"CRUD!" shouted Zuko as he sprinted after Kai. Dr. Shin stepped back and let the mob pass him, but when they were gone and when the dust had cleared a lone paper fluttered to the ground. The doctor put the baskets of herbs down and bent down to pick up the paper. He turned it over and his eyes widened.

**WANTED: KAI YAMAMGATA  
DEAD OR ALIVE**

_This Firebender is wanted for desertion of the Fire Nation Army, treason against the Fire Nation for once being apart of the Fire Nation Rebellion, destruction of several Fire Nation outposts, and the deaths over numerous soldiers, entire battalions, as well as several Generals. _

_**USE EXTREME CAUTION**__  
She has been known to kill or injure anyone who attempts to capture her. Those who capture her will be rewarded. _

By the decree of the Yamagata family and Fire Lord Ozai. 

"No. . ."said the doctor, his eyes wide in horror. Without a word, he folded the wanted poster and tore into little pieces and upon seeing another wanted poster he tore it down from the wall and shredded it into pieces.

* * *

**Author's Note**: 

Wow, I can't believe I finished this chapter so fast. . . YAY! Listening to Pink's "Trouble" really helped. lol

Anyways I've gotten several comments saying that the pace of the story was a slow and for that, I'm sorry TT. I've always had a problem with pacing my stories. But, I'm definitely picking up the pace now. . . if you can see that. . . I tried to speed things up with chapter.

But anyways I hope you enjoyed, sorry for any typos and stick around till next time. OH AND YAY FOR 1000 hits!! lol  
-**BeautifullyAbstract**


	14. Chapter 14 Decision

**Chapter 14  
Decision**

"This. . . .is. . . ridiculous. . . "said Kai in between heavy pants. She was hunched over with her hands on her slightly bent knees. Prince Zuko leaned against the wall just across from Kai, his chest heaving with every laborious breath he took. His eyes narrowed and glared at Kai, and Kai glared back. "What?!" she barked breathily.

"This is all. . . your. . . fault!" he gasped as he slumped to the ground.

"It's not. . . my fault! At least we lost them," she gasped. Kai knew full well that the situation that they were in was entirely her fault, but she couldn't tell Zuko that. Kai lazily slumped down to the ground and leaned against the wall and rested comfortably in the shade. Kai looked up at the sky and saw that there was not a cloud in sight and the sun was only starting its decent. Sunset was a long way away and she would be stuck with Zuko until then.

"_Wait? I don't have to stay,_" realized Kai, "_Zuko's tired and he won't have enough energy to chase after me and I can finally get away from him and that ship,_" This was the moment that she had been waiting for and she felt stupid for not realizing this before. Kai slowly started to get up, keeping her eyes locked on Zuko who had his eyes closed, trying to catch his breath and calm his breathing. Once Kai was standing, she took off in a sprint. Hearing the sounds of Kai's feet, Zuko's golden eyes snapped open only to see Kai disappear around the corner.

"KAI!!" he shouted as he stumbled to his feet and took off after her. Kai, however, had the upper hand. She had spent years running from bounty hunters and could endure running long distances. Kai heard Zuko running after her and she picked up the pace. She could feel her lungs started to ache and her leg muscles throbbing from all the running that had previously occurred several minutes ago, but she ignored these minor discomforts and continue to run. Kai skidded to a halt, dragging some dust behind her, and ran into a dead end alley way, but that didn't stop her. She saw that leaning against the wall was a pile of wooden boxes that made an almost perfect staircase that could lead up to the roof. Kai leaped from one box to another and made her way up the makeshift staircase, but stopped when she reached the last and final box and saw that there wasn't enough boxes that would let her climb onto the roof.

"Damn . . ." she muttered under her breath, standing on last box.

"KAI, GET BACK HERE!" roared Prince Zuko as he ran pell-mell after Kai. Kai turned around and suddenly felt the box shift underneath her. The sudden shift made her almost lose her balance, but she slammed her back foot on the wood and brought the box back to its stable position. Zuko came to a halt and started to climb the stairway of boxes when suddenly Kai jumped up onto the roof above her. She teetered backwards, nearly falling off the edge of the roof, but regained her balance and soon disappeared. When Kai jumped off the last box, she purposely pushed down on it. Making it, and all the other boxes, topple over like a bunch of dominoes, preventing Zuko from perusing her any further. "Damn it!" muttered Zuko under his breath. He stepped away from the toppled pile of wooden boxes and ran out of the alleyway and tried to find another way to get to Kai.

Kai jumped down from the sweltering heat of the sun beaten rooftops and into the comfort of the shade that alleyway brought. Though, that comfort was short lived, for when Kai looked around she saw a wanted poster with her picture on it on the wall to her left. Kai slowly walked up to it and stared at the lifeless looking picture of her. Even though Kai knew that it was only a picture, there was something about the picture that bothered her. She felt like the drawn eyes were boring into her very being and the blank expression reminded her of something she didn't want to remember.

"_I want you dead_. . ." Kai eyes widened and she looked around, trying to figure out who had said that. She spun around, frantically searching, but she didn't see anyone. She was all alone. "_Why won't you die_?" said the voice again. Kai turned and looked at the wanted poster. It almost seemed like that the picture on the poster was speaking to her. Kai backed away slightly and looked at the poster warily. It looked like the mouth of picture was moving and IT was the one who muttered wishes for her death. Kai's body began to shake as the voice grew louder. Kai closed her eyes and in a childish gesture, she covered her ears with her hand and closed her eyes. However, the voice grew into a shrieking scream and instead of the darkness that she had hoped for when she closed her eyes, imaginary flames surrounded her and the image on the poster remained in front of her. The shrill voice grew louder and louder and the once inanimate picture sprang to life and stood in front of Kai. The mirror image of herself she saw stand before reminded her all to well of the person she used to be. Covered in blood from head to toe and hatred flaring in her eyes. "_I WANT YOU DEAD_!!" shouted the other Kai, "_DIE_!!" Suddenly the "other" Kai extended her arms and lunged at her, but before anything could happen, Kai's eyes snapped open and everything returned to normal. She was alone on in the alleyway, there were no flames surrounding her anymore and the picture no longer moved. Kai's chest heaved up and down as she panted, a cold sweat dripping down her face as she stared at the lifeless picture.

"AUGH!!" cried Kai in anguish as she ripped the poster from the wall and tore it bitterly into pieces. She felt tears welling up in her eyes when, unexpectedly, Kai felt a light tug on her pants. She gasped in surprise and jumped backwards a bit and when Kai looked down she came face to face with a little girl.

"Are you okay?" asked the little girl who looked up at Kai, her eyes full of innocence. Kai was taken aback and first, but she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that it was only a kid.

"I'm fine. . ." she said quietly as she bent down to get down to eye level with the girl.

"Are you sure?" asked the girl, "You looked really sad. . ."

"I'm fine," smiled Kai warmly, "Really, I am. . . What are you doing here, kid? Where are you parents?"

"Oh, my mommy's at home and my dad's working," smiled the girl, "I was playing with my friends. Do you want to come?"

"Wait, I couldn't do th-"

"Come on let's go!" laughed the girl, "it'll be fun!" The girl grabbed Kai's hand and began pulling her in another direction.

"I really shouldn't. . ." said Kai, warily.

"Pleaaaassseee?" begged the girl, with pleading eyes. Kai sighed in defeat and stood up.

"Alright, fine. . ." she sighed. The little girl cheered happily and smiled up at Kai and began to lead Kai away from the shredded remains of the poster. "Uh, hey, kid what's your name?"

"It's Ling," smiled the little girl. "What's yours?"

"Uh, Kai. . ."

"_What ever happened to that 'don't talk to strangers' rule_?" thought Kai as she and Ling walked until they came across a very small empty square where there were several kids already playing.

"Ling! There you are!" called another girl who had a small ball.

"Look! I found another person to play with us!" giggled Ling as she tugged on Kai's hand a bit.

"She can't play with us," said a boy.

"Why not Huan?!"

"She's an adult!"

"Huan, that's not nice. . ." whined Ling. Kai knelt down and put a hand on Ling's shoulder.

"It's alright, Ling. You go and play with your friends," assured Kai.

"But-"

"Ling," said Kai softly, with a kind smile on her face, "just go on and have fun." Ling's pouted expression softened and looked at Kai and nodded.

"Okay. . . but promise you won't leave!" she said suddenly, pointing a finger at Kai's face.

"Why don't you want me to leave?" asked Kai, raising an eyebrow.

"Because you looked so sad when you were by yourself. . ." Kai's eyes widened a bit, but Ling just shrugged and ran off to play with her friends. Kai walked over to a nearby bench and sat down. She hunched over and propped her elbows on her knees while she languidly rested her chin in her hands. She couldn't help, but smile at the simple game of catch that the kids were engaging in. The afternoon dragged on and sunset soon came, but Kai continued to watch the game. She found it amusing and interesting that kids found such happiness and joy in the simplest things, like a game. Or that they were untouched and unaware of the prejudice and hatred in the world. She slightly envied their blissful ignorance and wished she had childhood like them. Her eyes slightly dulled and memories suddenly came rushing back to her and she began to hear things.

"_Kai! Why can't you get it right_!" shouted the voice of her father.

"_I'm sorry, father. . ._" said a younger Kai, "_It's just_," the sound of a dry, hacking cough interrupted the explanation.

"_It's just what_?" demanded Kai's father. Kai closed her eyes and the small square where the children were playing disappeared. In its place, she saw the scene play out before her. Two figures stood in a large empty training room. Pillars, decorated with gold lined the walls and loomed over the two people that stood in the room. There was a man, who stood with his hands behind his erect and straight back, his long black hair tied into a low black ponytail, he dressed in a formal robe, and his piercing, cold, red eyes stared down at the small girl who was bent over while her frail looking body heaved and bucked with every dry cough. The girl raised her head and looked at her father with the same red eyes he had.

"_It's just that, this is really hard father. I don't think I can do it_. . . "

"_THAT'S NO EXCUSE! YOU ARE A YAMAGATA KAI! THIS SHOULD COME EASY TO YOU_!" her father's voice lowered, "_Do you want to shame your family Kai_?"

"_No. . ._"

"_THEN GET UP_-" Kai's memory was interrupted when she felt something tap against her shoe. Kai's eyes snapped open and she looked down and saw the ball by her feet.

"Kai!" called Ling, "Can you get the ball?" Kai smiled and pushed her memory to the back of her head. The young girl shifted her feet and let the ball roll onto her foot with ease. Kai pushed herself off the bench, the ball still resting on the top of her foot. Kai's foot suddenly jerked and sent the ball upwards, but before it could get too high, Kai bumped the ball with her hip and it bounced over to the kids.

"Whooooaaaaaaaaaa!" Kai raised an eyebrow that their awestruck expressions and chuckled a bit.

"What?" she asked laughing a bit.

"Kai that was so cool!" exclaimed Ling as she grabbed the ball and ran towards Kai, "Can you do it again?" she asked as she held the ball out to Kai. She laughed nervously and put her hand on the back of her head and entangled her fingers in her long black hair.

"Uh, I don't think-" The rest of Ling's friend's ran up to Kai, with that same pleading look on their faces.

"Pleeeeeeeaaaaaaaasssssssssseeeeeeeee?!" Kai's eyes widened and she hesitantly took the ball from Ling.

"Okay, okay. . ." she laughed a bit. The children cheered and stepped back, their eyes eager to see what Kai would do. Kai dropped the ball and let it bounce once before she lifted her knee and began to bounce the ball in the air with her right knee. The kids clapped eagerly and cheered at the spectacle. Kai smiled let the ball drop and bounce once again only this time she bent down and caught the ball and let it rest on the curvature of the back of her arched neck. She couldn't help, but smile widely when the kids clapped and "ohhh"ed and ahhh"ed at whatever trick she did. However, Kai wasn't aware that there was one other guest audience member to her little "show".

Standing off to the far left of the small square was Prince Zuko. His normally glaring, golden eyes were relaxed and looked at Kai with fascination. Never before had he guessed that she could ever be like THIS. Laughing, genuinely smiling, and being kind towards children. He never even considered that there was a softer side to the usually snarky teenage girl. Prince Zuko turned his eyes away from Kai's little show for the children and looked at the setting sun. They had to go. Sighing, he walked over slowly and called out to Kai. Reluctant to end Kai's little spectacle.

"Ahem," he cleared his throat, immediately getting Kai's attention, "Looks I finally found you," Kai spun around and let the ball drop. Her eyes widened when she saw Prince Zuko standing there, arms folding, looking a bit impatient. The kids looked at Zuko and instantly were frightened by him, his armor and more specifically by and his scar. The children retreated behind Kai when Zuko drew closer. Kai looked back nervously at Zuko, waiting for him to cuss, swear and lash out at her for running off, but he did nothing. He just looked at her. Kai's body tensed slightly, waiting nervously for the verbal lashing that would usually follow after something like this. But, nothing happened; Prince Zuko just sighed and turned around. "We better get going. . ." he said quietly. Kai raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"What?" she stammered in disbelief.

"I said 'We better get going'. Now come on, Uncle's probably wondering where we are. . ."

"What the hell?!" exploded Kai. Several of the kids behind her giggled, mischievously.

"Oohhh… she said a bad word," giggled a boy.

"Be quiet Huan!" hissed Ling. Kai stood still for minute for she didn't know what to do. If she ran, she would be free from Prince Zuko, his Uncle, and everyone on his ship. She wouldn't have to live everyday in fear of anyone on that ship finding out whom she really was, a wanted Fire Nation traitor. She could return to her rouge ways, wandering the world, fighting the Fire Nation in anyway she could. Kai thought this all over as Zuko slowly started walking away. But, there was something about seeing Prince Zuko walking away made her uneasy. Even though, the two of them didn't get along very much and at times seemed to despise each other's company, Kai had grown used to being around him and his goofy Uncle. And if she were to leave them and return to wandering, she'd be alone again.

"_Should I stay? Or should I go?_" Kai asked herself.

"Come on!" called Zuko, with more force. Kai sighed and followed him, reluctantly, but when she started to walk away she felt a tug on the hem of her Samue. She turned and saw Ling, looking up with sadness in her eyes.

"Do you really have to leave?" she asked.

"Yeah. . . I think I better go. . ." she sighed, "Sorry kids. . ." Unexpectedly, the kids rushed towards and started to hug her legs. "What the-?!"

"DON'T GO!!" they all shouted as they clung to her body. Kai cringed as they squeezed on her limbs.

"Guys I really have to-"

"Alright that's enough!" barked Zuko as he tore Kai away from the kids who fearfully retreated. The two teenagers walked away, Prince Zuko's hand holding tightly onto Kai's. Kai looked back and seeing the sad expressions on the children's face, made her feel a bit guilty. She couldn't look at their melancholy expression any longer and turned away and continued to follow Zuko, unaware of his hand holding hers.

"_Looks like I'm staying_. . ." she thought as she looked down at the pavement, "_I think I'm gonna regret this_. . ."

* * *

**Author's Note**:

Well, I don't think there's not much to say except... uh, thanks for reading, sorry for any typos and stick around for the next one I'm typing it up right now lol oh and sorry about the slightly fillerish chapter. There was originally gonna be more in this chapter, but I figured that this was a pretty good place to stop.

Til, next time,  
-**BeautifullyAbstract**


	15. Chapter 15 Regret

Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Regret**

She and Prince Zuko walked in silence, the two of them still holding hands. Kai looked around at the now nearly deserted marketplace. The setting sun cast a light orange glow over the streets and shops of the once bustling marketplace. She looked around and saw store owners closing windows and doors, vendors putting away their merchandise, mother's ushering their children back home with bags full of what they bought that day. Kai glanced over at Zuko and saw his blank expression and grew a bit uncomfortable. She had been waiting for him to lash out at her for running away, but so far there were no signs of anger at all. Kai lightly bit the inside of her cheek and the edge of her lips twisted a bit as she silently waited for Prince Zuko to explode. But she did that before him.

"Aren't you mad?!" she finally barked. Prince Zuko's eyes widened and he turned to look at her, still walking down the street.

"Huh?" said Prince Zuko, confused.

"Aren't you pissed, that I ran away?" she sighed in exasperation. Prince Zuko looked down and thought about it for a moment.

"I guess so. . ." he shrugged and looked away from Kai.

"What do you mean you 'guess so'?!" exclaimed Kai.

"Look, I could have stopped looking for you a long time ago," his tone started to sound more irritated. Kai stopped. Zuko had a good point.

"Wait, then why didn't you stop looking?" she asked.

"I don't know!" shouted Zuko, "Just back off!" Kai sighed and looked at the ground as she walked. The rest of walk back to the ship was hazy for Kai. She didn't remember what route she and Zuko took back to the ship, Kai just looked up and saw that she was walking up the metal ramp towards Uncle Iroh, who awaited them patiently.

"Welcome back, you two," he smiled, stepping forward to greet Prince Zuko and Kai.

"Hi. . ." grumble Zuko and Kai weakly, their eyes plastered to the ground.

"My, you two look exhausted," said Iroh when he noticed the fatigued look upon their faces.

"It's been a long day. . ." mumbled Kai, her eyes looking off to the side. Iroh smiled at the two of them and walked behind them. He placed his wrinkled hands on their shoulders and gently nudged Prince Zuko and Kai forward, silently beckoning them to walk with him.

"Well, it would be wise go back to your room and get some rest before dinner," smiled Iroh as he pushed his way in between the two teenagers. The distance grew between Prince Zuko and Kai until the only thing linking the two of them together was their weakly interlocked hands. At that moment Uncle Iroh had noticed that they were holding hands, but he was a little too late for their hands soon released each other and fell weakly to their sides. The old man looked at the two of them to see how they react, but the two of them did not show any signs of even knowing that they had let go of each other. Iroh, smiled quietly to himself, deciding not to press the issue any further.

Kai shivered slightly when she entered the ship. She had left the warmth and comfort of the outside and entered the cold and unfeeling inside of the mechanical beast that was the ship. Kai raised her head and looked about and saw that ahead in the hallway men were lining up along the wall near Dr. Shin's office. She then remembered that Dr. Shin had mentioned something about a crew medical check up. However, Kai didn't think much about it, she was too preoccupied as to why her shoulder suddenly felt a bit heavier. Kai looked to the side and saw Iroh's hand on her shoulder. She rolled her eyes and bit and discretely moved her shoulder, freeing herself from Iroh's grip. Too Kai's relief, Iroh's hand dropped to his side, he didn't even seem to notice that Kai had moved. Seeing this, Kai slowed her pace and distanced herself from Iroh and Zuko. The three of them made their way past the line of soldiers waiting to be checked by Dr. Shin before turning the corner. Kai noticed how suddenly, the amount of talking went from a loud roar to almost completely silent, with the exception of a few apprehensive whispers, but she dismissed the issue as unimportant and followed Iroh and Zuko to the room.

She turned the corner and saw that Prince Zuko and Iroh had just entered the room at the end of the hall. Kai sighed and picked up her pace to catch up with them, but before she could take another step a hand roughly covered her mouth and her right arm was pinned to her back! Kai's crimson eyes widened in surprise as her free arm shot out and grabbed her attacker's arm. Before she could get a good grip on her attacker's arm, a sharp pain ran up through her arm and stopped at her shoulder. Who ever was attacking her was pushing her arm, threatening to rip the limb from it's socket. Kai shut her eyes, trying to ignore the pain and her free hand fell to her side. Thankfully, the pain subsided when Kai released her attacker's arm. Unfortunately, that relief was short lived for Kai soon felt herself being dragged down hallway after hallway until she found herself in what looked to be the boiler room. But, Kai didn't have enough time to look at her surroundings for she was suddenly pushed to the ground. She landed roughly, but she ignored any pain she was in and turned around to see her attacker. Kai's eyes widened in shock at first, but suddenly narrowed in anger.

"You again," she growled through clenched teeth at the man who had just abducted her.

"Nice to see you again, too," sneered the man as he walked towards her. Kai immediately recognized him from before as the man who seemed to be waiting for her down the hallway when she tried to escape from the infirmary. If she remembered correctly, his name was Mizuki.

"What the hell do you want with me?" barked Kai as she back away from him only to hit a wall.

"Actually, I believe I have some things to discuss with you. . ." he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment and held it to her face, "Kai Yamagata. . ." The young girl's eyes widened and her stomach churned uneasily for what she saw was her own wanted poster.

"Where the hell did you get that?" she demanded, taking her eyes away from that all too familiar poster, and looked at Mizuki's smug face.

"Funny. . ." he mused, "I actually found it in a wastebasket while I was in Dr. Shin's office. Now why do you suppose he kept this in there?" he asked, mockingly waving the paper in her face.

"Get that away from me!" barked Kai, swatting the paper away from Mizuki's hand. Instead backing away, like Kai hoped he would, he only laughed at her actions and smirked down at her as he placed a hand on the wall beside her head, leaning towards Kai.

"Well, aren't you the little firecracker," he laughed, his smirk growing. Kai's eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed, trying to hide the fear that was growing inside of her. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her shoulder and around the area near her arm socket, making her wince a bit. Mizuki apparently saw her momentary look of discomfort spread across her face and asked, "Oh, did I hurt you earlier?" he asked sarcastically. Kai looked up at him and opened her mouth to shout something at him, but whatever hostile shout or lashing insult she was about to say was soon replaced by a yelp of pain. Mizuki had roughly shoved Kai's hurting shoulder into the wall behind her.

"Okay," panted Kai after a few moments, trying to ignore the pain she was in, "so you know who I am. What are you going to do? Turn me in?" Mizuki chuckled darkly.

"I don't know. . ." he mused, "I could report you to Prince Zuko and General Iroh, but it seems that they've grown quite fond of you, that goes for the doctor as well. I mean, **why** would he throw away a valuable piece of information having to deal with the Fire Nation's most wanted fugitive and not say a word about it to anyone? But I will turn you in eventually. . ."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Kai, warily.

"Oh, I don't know. . . maybe I want to have some fun before I turn you into the authority figures. . ." Kai's eyes widened in terror and her horror only increased when she felt Mizuki's hand on her hip.

"Get off!!" she shouted. Kai kicked her captor in the gut and pushed him to the ground, trying to run away, but Mizuki managed to grab her ankle and dragged her to the ground. Kai rolled onto her back only to see Mizuki's large figure looming over her. Kai's eyes widened and instead of attacking, she opened her mouth and let out an ear shattering scream. Mizuki backed away in surprised at first and covered his ears, for Kai's screams echoed within the walls of the boiler room making her scream ten times louder than it normally was, but he soon returned to her and pulled out a vial from his pocket and stuck the end with a needle on it into Kai's arm. Feeling the pinch on her arm, Kai stopped screaming and tore her arm away and sprang to her feet. Frantically, Kai ran away from her captor. She made sharp turns, confusing loops, and back tracked her steps all in hopes of confusing her captor.

As the young firebender ran, she felt her limbs grow heavier and heavier and soon it was difficult to keep a simple jogging pace. Why was this happening? Eventually her limbs came to an almost halting stop, like a piece of machinery that had rusted over the years and became unable to move. Kai tucked herself away behind a pile of crates beside the furnace in the back of the boiler. She crouched down, held her breath and waited.

Silence. . .

Then footsteps. . .

Then silence again. . .

The anticipation was almost unbearable. Would he give up on searching for her? Would someone come down to help her out? Did anyone happen to hear her piercing shriek somewhere in the ship? Kai forced herself to think yes, someone would come to her rescue or he would simply give up on her search. But, all fleeting hopes and optimism were shattered by one movement of Mizuki's foot which sent the crates in front of her to the side exposing Kai's hiding spot. Mizuki looked down at Kai with wolfish eyes and Kai returned his gaze, but with a glare. However, her glare had no sting to it, only fear shone through. Mizuki saw this and laughed as she kneeled down to Kai's level, forcing her to fall on her bottom and put her back up against the wall.

"Game over, pet," he smirked "That Shirshu venom I swiped from the doctor should be taking its effect by now. . ." Mizuki's face loomed closer and closer to the point where Kai could feel his breath on her face. The sensation sickened her and in one final act of protest, Kai used that last of her mobility and strength to grab Mizuki's face and press it roughly against the nearest and potentially dangerous object around. The furnace. The hot metal of the furnace burned at Mizuki's cheek and he let out an agony filled cry that echoed through out the boiler room. Kai pressed his face as hard as she could against the exterior of the furnace, but the last of her strength disappear and Mizuki pushed her off and sent her sliding across the floor amongst the fallen boxes. "You little, BITCH!!" he hissed as he turned around and revealed his hideously burnt cheek, "You wanna play rough?" he asked rhetorically, "Fine!" Mizuki roughly grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her top off her shoulders and then grabbed the sash around her waist, loosening it.

"MIZUKI!!" roared a familiar voice. Suddenly Mizuki was violently pulled off of Kai. It took several minutes for Kai to realize what had just happened and when she came to her senses she saw Prince Zuko standing over her and Iroh following close behind. It was the lamest cliché in the book; the girl gets rescued from a mortifying experience just in time before anything actually happens. Kai had seen that scenario played over again and again in almost every story she heard and she often hated it, but for once she was glad that those kinds of things didn't just exist in stories and that it happened to her!

"What is going on down here?!" demanded Iroh, his normally benevolent eyes now filled her rage. Mizuki just shrugged and laughed, trying to play it cool.

"Nothing… the little lady over here got lost so-"

"Enough with your lies!!" roared Iroh. Almost right on cue, the doctor came running down the stairs, almost tripping on the last step as he made his descent.

"General Iroh, someone said you needed me-!" the doctor's voice trailed off and his eyes took in the situation before him. There was Mizuki who looked exhausted and had a burn on his face and Kai was in the corner of the room by the furnace, looking absolutely petrified with her undershirt exposed, her sash loosened, her hair a mess as she sat in a clutter of fallen boxes. It look Shin less than a second to figure out what had almost happened and he marched up to Mizuki, who was smirking, and pushed him roughly towards the stairs. "TO THE DECK, YOU!" he roared. Mizuki nodded and obeyed, that smirk still on his face. The two men walked up the stairs, the doctor behind Mizuki, but before Mizuki disappeared behind the doorway, he looked over his should and sent a spine chilling glare her way. Kai's gut wrenched in fear and her body tensed. Iroh saw this and slowly stepped forward.

"Are you alright?" asked Iroh, quietly in an attempt to comfort her. Kai didn't respond, she merely looked down, her raven black hair hiding her terrified expression. "Can you move?" Kai shook her head, still looking down, she new that the Shirshu venom was still working on her body. "Prince Zuko, can you carry her. . .?" beckoned Iroh in a kind tone. Even though she couldn't see, Kai knew that Prince Zuko hesitantly stepped towards her and knelt before her. But, he did something she did not expect. He gently lifted up her shirt so that it covered her shoulders, properly and he carefully redid the sash around her waist.

"Are you sure you can't move?" he asked, quiet yet stern. Kai shook her head and made no noise. "Alright then…" Prince Zuko took Kai's arm, slung it around his shoulder, lifted her off the ground slightly, then put his other arm under her knee and picked her up.

"Let's bring her back to the room. . . " said Iroh, almost somberly. The sad little procession made their way up the metal stairs leaving behind a pile of fallen crates, a shatter vial that once held the Shirshu venom and the crumpled remains of a wanted poster.

"_I knew I shouldn't have come back_. . . " thought Kai, "_I knew I'd regret this. . ._"

**Author's Note**:  
I'm BAAAACCCCKKK!!

Yup, finally came back now that school is done (I'm in summer school though) and I figured that I should get to updating this thingamabob. . . so yeah. . . I hope this didn't push the PG-13 lines in terms of ratings. . . but I hope you guys liked it.

Stick around for more to come (and sooner),  
**BeautifullyAbstract**


	16. Chapter 16 Hold it All In

bChapter 16

**Chapter 16  
Hold it All in  
**

Kai sat quietly against the wall of Prince Zuko's room on her futon. Prince Zuko and his Uncle were talking just outside the room in the hallway letting Kai have some time alone. It had been a half hour since the incident with Mizuki, but Kai was still paralyzed, partially from the Shirshu venom, but most from fear. The weight of the event hadn't hit Kai right away, but now that some time had passed, the fear and vulnerability she should have felt during or moments after her encounter were suddenly setting in. The young firebender's body began to shiver and tears threatened to leak from her crimson eyes, but she wouldn't let them. Kai slowly pulled her legs to her chest and buried her head in her knees. The effect of the Shirshu venom was beginning to wear off, but it still made moving difficult.

But, Kai didn't care that she could barely move. She merely sat there and silently relived those terrifying moments in boiler room in her mind. She didn't want to remember what had almost happened, but her mind continued to play that horrifying event over and over again in her head like a broken record. Again she could feel salty tears brim her crimson eyes, but she stubbornly held them back making her body tremble involuntarily. Her body almost yearned and begged Kai to cry so as to release all the tension and stress inside her, but Kai's mind refused. Instead she closed her eyes tightly and let her hands curl around the fabric of her black pant legs and held them tightly.

The door opened and Iroh entered with Zuko following him. Seeing Kai's current position, Iroh approached her slowly before sitting in front of her futon. Kai lifted her head slightly and rested her knees on her chin as she looked at Iroh who seemed to patiently wait for her to speak. However, Kai wasn't in the mood for talking.

"Are you alright?" asked Iroh in that familiar gentle tone. Kai looked at him blankly.

"I've been better, but I guess I can't complain…" she said in almost a monotone. Her crimson eyes trailed to the side and saw Zuko standing by the door looking at her with a stern yet pitying look in his eyes. Her brow furrowed slightly at the sympathetic look, but she looked away and tried to pay no mind to it.

"If it's of any consolation Dr. Shin took care of Mizuki…" assured Iroh. Suddenly, Kai's eyes flickered with interested and their crimson hues turned to look at Iroh. Zuko saw this too and he walked across the room and sat on the edge of the futon and looked at Kai.

"Yeah," he started, "He beat him up and them tossed him over the side of the ship and he said, uh, 'you can swim back to shore for all I care!' " Zuko raised his fist and shook it as he tried to imitate the doctor. Kai stared at him blankly and Zuko gave up on his impersonation act. "Anyways, you don't have to worry about him…" Kai didn't respond, instead she simply looked off to the side. Iroh sighed, seeing that she wasn't in the mood for talking.

"I'll leave you too alone for the time being. You two stay put, I will go fetch us some food. . ." And with that Iroh left the room as quietly as he came, leaving the two teens to sit in complete silence. Zuko sat cross-legged on the futon, his back to Kai, while Kai remained in her curled up position. Minutes went by and the two made no move to even look at each other, even when an attendant came into the room to set up a collapsible table for them to eat on they didn't say a word. Zuko grew weary of Kai's silence and turned around to face her, scooting closer to her.

"Hey. . ." he said quietly as he looked at her. A feeling of uneasy and discomfort spread through Kai when she saw how close Prince Zuko was. She wanted to move, but her limbs were still slightly heavy from the Shirshu venom. "Are you alright. . .?" he asked slowly. Kai didn't respond, she just pulled her legs closer to her chest. Zuko was slightly irked by this movement and he moved closer to her, unaware that she was a bit scared to be close to any man at the moment. "Hey. . . I asked you a question. . ." he growled.

"And I decided not to answer. . ." grumbled Kai as she looked away from Zuko. Suddenly, Zuko's arm shot out and reached for Kai's face wanting to make Kai look at him. Kai felt his hand touch her cheek and her arm flew out in defense and she smacked his hand away fearfully, "Don't touch me!" she said in a somewhat shout. It wasn't like her normal shouts though, this time her voice was filled with fear. Zuko scowled and scolded himself inwardly before turning his back on Kai.

"I'm sorry. . ." he apologized quietly. And that was all he said to Kai until Uncle Iroh came back into the room with several attendants who carried three trays of warm food.

Kai, Iroh, and Prince Zuko ate in silence. Occasionally, Iroh tried to crack a joke here and there to lighten the mood, but failed. Neither Kai nor Zuko felt like laughing or talking. And so the night passed on with silence and before Kai knew it, the lights went out and she and Prince Zuko went to sleep. However, Kai tossed and turned in her sleep, plagued by nightmares for the entire night.

She stood in the center of a burning village, the cries to dying people echoed through her mind. Kai's limbs trembled and she collapsed on the ground that was steeped in blood. She held her trembling arms as the dying groans slowly silenced. The silence by far was the worst part. It was almost maddening, knowing that none of those voices would be heard again. The thought plagued Kai's mind and she began to cry. She brought her hands to her face to stop the river of tears that flowed down her cheeks, but something stung her eyes. Kai quickly pulled her hands away from her face, but when she looked down at one hand she saw that her hand was covered in fresh blood and in the other there was a bloody sword. Kai tossed the sword away in horror and disgust and tried to wipe the crimson red liquid off on her clothing. However, much to Kai's horror her clothes were also covered, no, soaked in warm blood. The horror struck firebender opened her mouth to scream, but instead with sat up in the futon, her forehead beaded with sweat.

Kai's chest heaved as she panted and gasped for air. Goosebumps ran up and down her arms and she shivered as moments of the dream flashed through her memory.

"Kai, you're awake!" exclaimed a voice accompanied by the sound of a door closing. Kai jumped up at the sound and pressed her back against the wall as she held her hands up which were engulfed in fire, ready to attack. "Easy there! It's just me!" it was the doctor. He stood on the other side of the room, opposite of Kai, his hands up in the air in an "I surrender" sort of gesture. Kai relaxed and let her body slide down the wall and to the futon.

"What do you want. . .?" she sighed putting her hand to her forehead, wiping away the sweat.

"I just wanted to check up on you," he said quietly as he walked over the futon. He stopped and sat a foot away from the futon then looked at Kai through his glasses. "So. . ." he started, "how are you feeling?" His normally grinning face softened into a face filled with worry and pity. Kai felt her guts twisted inside of her. She hated it when people gave her that look.

"I'm fine. . ." she grumbled, looking down at her lap.

"Look, you don't have to hide anything . . . it's normal to feel scared after something like that. . ." he said gently. Kai said nothing; she just stared blankly at her lap. Shin sighed at her silence before saying, "And if it's any consolation, I beat up Mizuki for you before I threw him overboard." Dr. Shin chuckled a bit, hoping that the news would cheer Kai up. However, it didn't.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"What do you mean 'why'? Why wouldn't I?!" he exclaimed, "The bastard, deserved it for what he did to you!"

"You didn't need to go through that trouble, I'm not worth it . . ." sighed Kai as she pulled her legs to her chest.

"What do you mean by that? Are you saying that you're not worth protecting or defending, but you are worth of being. . . being. . ." Dr. Shin couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence. Kai looked at him, eyes filled with curiosity. Why was this man so kind to her and why did he always seem to be looking out for her?

"How do you even know that I'm worth protecting?" Kai's voice started to get louder, "You don't even know who I am!" she exclaimed, getting up and standing on the futon. The doctor looked up at her sadly from where he sat on the floor before looking down.

"Kai, trust me. . . I do think you're worth protecting and I know more about you than you probably thin-" Before Dr. Shin could finish his sentence Iroh opened the door and stepped in.

"Good morning, Kai. . ." he said in his normally gentle and calm manner. He and the doctor talked for a while and discussed something that Kai wasn't particularly interested in. She grew bored and quietly slipped out of the room. She felt a little safer wandering around the ship alone now that Mizuki was gone, but there was a lingering fear that he would jump out of the shadows and attack her. Again, the scene of what happened in the boiler room flashed through her mind, making her shudder. Kai managed to find her way to the door that lead to deck. She pushed at the heavy metal door and stepped outside. As she looked around at the blue skies, white clouds, and deep blue seas, she felt a sense of relief wash over her. She held her bandaged arms out in front of her and stretched, getting rid of the last of the stiffness in her body.

"You're awake. . ." said Prince Zuko. Kai looked in the direction from where she heard Zuko's voice and saw him walking towards her and from the looks of it, he was in the middle of training before she arrived. "How are you feeling. . .?" he asked in an unsure tone.

"Better. . ." she mumbled with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," she lied. As she and Zuko made idle small talk, memories of what happened in the boiler room and her nightmare flooded her mind. It grew to a point where Kai's body began to shake slightly. The young girl could feel tears welling in her eyes, but she stubbornly held them back. Zuko noticed her slight trembling.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Kai quickly, "I'm fine. . . uh, hey Zuko, can I ask a favor of you?" Zuko nodded. "Will you spar with me? I need a distraction right now." The banished prince looked down at Kai with a confused look on his face.

"You want me. . . to spar with you, as a distraction?" he said.

"Yeah," Kai was growing irritated and her trembling grew worse.

"Why?"

"I said I need a distraction. . ." Kai clenched her teeth. If she didn't get into a fight with Zuko soon, she would become overwhelmed and start crying in front of him.

"But, ho-?"

"JUST FIGHT ME!!" roared Kai as she punched out in front of her sending Zuko flying back several feet. Prince Zuko slowly pushed himself off the deck and looked at Kai bewildered. Kai's eyes were hard and focused as she stared down Zuko. She was serious.

"Okay then fine!"

* * *

**Author's Note**:

Yeah… I come back, have one good chapter, but then come back with another filler chapter headesk I swear next one will be better!

Oh and sorry about any typos of the sort, my brain's on the fritz

Stick around,  
-**BeauifullyAbstract**


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